SLOVENIA: Slovenia’s parliament has passed a decree recognising a Palestinian state, following last week’s recognition by three other European states, AFP reports.

With the move in response to the devastating Gaza conflict, Slovenia becomes the latest to do so, pushing ahead with a vote in defiance of an opposition motion to derail it.

Fifty-two members of the 90-member parliament voted in favour of the government-sponsored decree to recognise a Palestinian state after a chaotic six-hour parliament session.

“Today’s recognition of Palestine as a sovereign and independent state sends hope to the Palestinian people in the West Bank and in Gaza,” Prime Minister Robert Golob wrote on the government’s account on X after the vote as the Palestinian flag was raised in front of parliament.

The opposition boycotted the vote except for one lawmaker who attended but abstained.

The conservative opposition Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) led by former prime minister Janez Jansa on Monday then filed a proposal to hold an advisory referendum on the recognition. At Tuesday’s session, 52 lawmakers rejected the opposition motion for a referendum on the issue.