If you woke up Thursday confused to read news reports on the resignation of the Slovenian prime minister and the Slovakian prime minister — and wondering if it was just a typo — you weren’t the only one.

In fact, both Miro Cerar (Slovenia) and Robert Fico (Slovakia) offered their resignation.

Cerar’s move was prompted by a court ruling over a railway line, and Fico’s after mounting backlash against his government in the wake of the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak.

Finland’s STT news agency was forced to issue a correction after confusing the two countries. But how many EU experts — and non-EU experts — can tell the difference between the two formerly socialist Central European republics?

They share a currency (the euro), have nearly identical flags, and each country can be abbreviated to SLO, though neither uses SLO as their official EU abbreviation.

Take our test and find out which people, places and phrases belong to which country.</s>FILE - A Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017 file photo of Slovenian Prime Minister, Miro Cerar arriving for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels. Cerar said Wednesday, March 14, 2018 that he is resigning after the country’s top court annulled last year’s referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote. Miro Cerar says that he has sent his resignation to parliament. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, File)

FILE - A Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017 file photo of Slovenian Prime Minister, Miro Cerar arriving for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels. Cerar said Wednesday, March 14, 2018 that he is resigning after the country’s top court annulled last year’s referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote. Miro Cerar says that he has sent his resignation to parliament. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, File)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s prime minister said Wednesday he is resigning after the country’s top court annulled last year’s referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar said he sent his resignation to parliament and will formally notify the president Thursday. The move means that Slovenia’s parliamentary elections, which were due in early June, will be held a few weeks earlier.

“I have made a decision any trustworthy politician should make in such a situation,” Cerar said in a statement broadcast live. “You (citizens) will have a chance in the elections to judge between right and wrong and who deserves your support.”

Cerar also praised his center-left government’s achievements in curbing an economic downturn in the tiny European Union nation of 2 million people that is the home country of U.S. first lady Melania Trump.

“During my term the economic crisis ended. Slovenia has stable economic growth, third strongest in EU,” he said. “We have the lowest unemployment rate after 2009.”

The government also has faced a wave of strikes and protests by public sector workers demanding higher wages amid economic recovery. Many schools in Slovenia were closed Wednesday as teachers went on strike for the second time in a month.

Slovenia’s Supreme Court ruled earlier Wednesday that government backing for the railway project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote.

The referendum in September approved the government’s plan to build 27 kilometers (16 miles) of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic, who also took the issue to Slovenia’s top courts. Kovacic was supported by some opposition parties.

Cerar said the rail project is of “strategic importance for the development of Slovenia.” He complained that “some are jeopardizing Slovenia’s development.”

The date for the new referendum wasn’t immediately set.

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Associated Press Writer Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed to this report.</s>Slovenia’s prime minister has said he will resign after the country’s top court annulled last year’s referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Slovenia’s prime minister has said he will resign after the country’s top court annulled last year’s referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar said he has sent his resignation to Parliament and will formally notify the president on Thursday.

The move means that Slovenia’s parliamentary election, which was due in early June, will be held a few weeks earlier. “I have made a decision any trustworthy politician should make in such a situation,” Mr Cerar said in a statement broadcast live in Slovenia.

“You (citizens) will have a chance in the elections to judge between right and wrong and who deserves your support.”

“During my term, the economic crisis ended. Slovenia has stable economic growth, third strongest in the EU,” he said. “We have the lowest unemployment rate after 2009.” The government has also faced a wave of strikes and protests by public sector workers demanding higher wages amid economic recovery. Many schools in Slovenia were closed on Wednesday as teachers went on strike for the second time in a month.

Slovenia’s Supreme Court ruled earlier on Wednesday that government backing for the project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote. The referendum last September approved the government’s plan to build 16 miles of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic who also took the issue to Slovenia’s top courts. Mr Kovacic was supported by some opposition parties.

Mr Cerar said the railway project is of “strategic importance for the development of Slovenia”. He complained that “some are jeopardising Slovenia’s development”.</s>LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) - Slovenia's prime minister said Wednesday he is resigning after the country's top court annulled last year's referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar said that he has sent his resignation to parliament and will formally notify the president Thursday. The move means that Slovenia's parliamentary election, which was due in early June, will be held a few weeks earlier.

"I have made a decision any trustworthy politician should make in such a situation," Cerar said in a statement broadcast live in Slovenia. "You (citizens) will have a chance in the elections to judge between right and wrong and who deserves your support."

FILE - A Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017 file photo of Slovenian Prime Minister, Miro Cerar arriving for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels. Cerar said Wednesday, March 14, 2018 that he is resigning after the country's top court annulled last year's referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote. Miro Cerar says that he has sent his resignation to parliament. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, File)

"During my term the economic crisis ended. Slovenia has stable economic growth, third strongest in EU," he said. "We have the lowest unemployment rate after 2009."

The government also has faced a wave of strikes and protests by public sector workers demanding higher wages amid economic recovery. Many schools in Slovenia were closed Wednesday as teachers went on strike for the second time in a month.

Slovenia's Supreme Court ruled earlier Wednesday that government backing for the project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote.

The referendum last September approved the government's plan to build 27 kilometers (16 miles) of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic who also took the issue to Slovenia's top courts. Kovacic was supported by some opposition parties.

Cerar said the railway project is of "strategic importance for the development of Slovenia." He complained that "some are jeopardizing Slovenia's development."

The date for the new referendum wasn't immediately set.</s>Slovenia's prime minister is resigning after the country's top court annulled last year's referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar said he has sent his resignation to parliament.

Slovenia's Supreme Court ruled earlier on Wednesday that government backing for the project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote.

Slovenian Prime Minister, Miro Cerar arriving for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels.

The referendum last September approved the government's plan to build 16 miles of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic who also took the issue to Slovenia's top courts.</s>LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Slovenia’s prime minister says he is resigning after the country’s top court annulled last year’s referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar says that he has sent his resignation to parliament.

Slovenia’s Supreme Court ruled earlier Wednesday that government backing for the project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote.

The referendum last September approved the government’s plan to build 27 kilometres (16 miles) of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic who also took the issue to Slovenia’s top courts.</s>LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Slovenia's prime minister said Wednesday he is resigning after the country's top court annulled last year's referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar said he sent his resignation to parliament and will formally notify the president Thursday. The move means that Slovenia's parliamentary elections, which were due in early June, will be held a few weeks earlier.

"I have made a decision any trustworthy politician should make in such a situation," Cerar said in a statement broadcast live. "You (citizens) will have a chance in the elections to judge between right and wrong and who deserves your support."

Cerar also praised his center-left government's achievements in curbing an economic downturn in the tiny European Union nation of 2 million people that is the home country of U.S. first lady Melania Trump.

"During my term the economic crisis ended. Slovenia has stable economic growth, third strongest in EU," he said. "We have the lowest unemployment rate after 2009."

The government also has faced a wave of strikes and protests by public sector workers demanding higher wages amid economic recovery. Many schools in Slovenia were closed Wednesday as teachers went on strike for the second time in a month.

Slovenia's Supreme Court ruled earlier Wednesday that government backing for the railway project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote.

The referendum in September approved the government's plan to build 27 kilometers (16 miles) of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic, who also took the issue to Slovenia's top courts. Kovacic was supported by some opposition parties.

Cerar said the rail project is of "strategic importance for the development of Slovenia." He complained that "some are jeopardizing Slovenia's development."

The date for the new referendum wasn't immediately set.</s>LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Slovenia's prime minister said Wednesday he is resigning after the country's top court annulled last year's referendum on a key railway project and ordered a new vote.

Miro Cerar said that he has sent his resignation to parliament and will formally notify the president on Thursday. The move means that Slovenia's parliamentary elections — which were due in early June — would be held a few weeks earlier.

"During my term the economic crisis ended. Slovenia has stable economic growth, third strongest in EU," he said. "We have the lowest unemployment rate after 2009."

Slovenia's Supreme Court ruled earlier Wednesday that government backing for the project during the referendum campaign was one-sided and could have affected the outcome of the vote.

The referendum last September approved the government's plan to build 27 (16 miles) of additional railway linking the Adriatic port of Koper with the Divaca hub near the border with Italy.

The vote was initiated by independent campaigner Vili Kovacic who also took the issue to Slovenia's top courts. Kovacic was supported by some opposition parties.

Cerar said the railway project is of "strategic importance for the development of Slovenia." He complained that "some are jeopardizing Slovenia's development."

The date for the new referendum wasn't immediately set.</s>Slovenia Prime Minister Miro Cerar resigned late Wednesday over a Supreme Court decision nullifying a referendum in favor of a major railroad project.

"This was the straw that broke the camel's back," Cerar said in his resignation note to parliament. "The second track project has been hit by another blow taken by those who want to stop Slovenia's positive development. I don't want to be part of such stories."

He plans to submit his resignation to President Borut Pahor Thursday.

Voters in September approved the $1.2 billion project to extend a key rail line from an Adriatic port to the Italian border.

But the Slovenian Supreme Court ordered a new vote, saying the government unfairly influenced voters to approve the project.

Cerar said the rail line would be of "strategic importance for the development of Slovenia."

Cerar says his center-left coalition is leaving the country in much better economic shape than it was when it took power in 2014.

Parliamentary elections are set for June, but Cerar's resignation may move them up.</s>Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar tendered his resignation Wednesday after a court annulled the result of a government referendum.

"The forces of the past do not allow us to work for future generations," Cerar told a press conference. "I am tendering my resignation."

Earlier Wednesday the constitutional court invalidated the result of a referendum which approved a flagship government infrastructure project, the upgrading of transport links to Koper port on the Adriatic coast.

The referendum, held in September 2017, resulted in a vote in favour of the building of a new railway line to service the town, Slovenia's only major commercial port.

The constitutional court found that the government had not acted with due impartiality as it spent public money to back a yes vote for the scheme.

The ruling came amid a backdrop of a wave of public sector strikes over pay in recent months and ahead of parliamentary elections which are due in June.

Cerar said the ruling over the referendum was "the drop of water which made the vase overflow" for his fractious three-party coalition government.

He said it was up to President Borut Pahor to decide whether or not to bring forward the elections.

Former law professor Cerar, 54, took office in 2014 when his SMC party scored a stunning electoral victory just one month after being created, having vowed to lead Slovenia back from the edge of economic crisis.
Miro Cerar announces his resignation as Prime Minister of Slovenia, due to the Supreme Court of Slovenia's annulment of the referendum that approved building a railway between Koper and Divača, a project which he calls "strategic".