Slovenia's Prime Minister Marjan Sarec announced his resignation on Monday and sought early elections citing his minority government's inability to push through legislation.

Sarec, who heads a coalition of five center-left parties, held only 43 out of 90 seats in parliament since November 2019 after losing the informal backing of the opposition Left Party.

He told a press conference: "With this coalition, this situation in parliament, I cannot fulfil the expectations of the people. I would be able to fulfil them after an election."

Sarec's quitting from his post was preceded by the resignation of Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj after plans to scrap top-up health insurance were rejected.

Bertoncelj had expressed his misgivings last Friday over a new bill that was proposed by the prime minister's LMS party which suggested that the budget would cover losses of the national health system.