Ljubljana: Slovenian Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek warned that the small eurozone country could plunge back into political turmoil if her party chooses to replace her at a meeting on Friday.
Speaking in an interview with the Mladina weekly ahead of a crunch congress of her Positive Slovenia (PS) party, Bratusek, 44, said her defeat risked sending Slovenia on an "unpredictable journey again".
Since taking office in March 2013, Bratusek has eased fears that Slovenia might become the sixth member of the eurozone to need a bailout, thanks to her recapitalisation of its stricken banks.
But she only became party leader after its founder, supermarket millionaire and Ljubljana mayor Zoran Jankovic, was forced to step down because of corruption allegations.
Jankovic is now challenging her for the leadership. Bratusek has said she will resign as premier if she loses, and her coalition partners have said they will quit if Jankovic becomes PS leader again.
The party congress was due to start at 5:30 pm (1530 GMT). The charismatic Jankovic, 61, is under investigation over the corruption allegations but denies any wrongdoing.
