Right-wing politician takes lead in Slovenia's presidential race
A right-wing former foreign minister, Anze Logar, won most votes in the first round of Slovenia's presidential election on Sunday, preliminary results based on a partial vote count on the election commission web site showed.
Logar secured 34% of the vote while Natasa Pirc Musar, a lawyer, won 26.88%, based on around 80% of ballots cast, and they will face a run-off on November 13.
Although the role is mostly ceremonial, the president is commander in chief of the armed forces and also nominates several top officials, including the central bank governor. Most of those nominations also have to be confirmed by parliament.
The new president of Slovenia, a member of the European Union and NATO, will replace Borut Pahor, a former fashion model who served two terms and is often referred to in public as the Instagram president for his use of the social network.
Logar, 46, is a member of the eurosceptic, anti-immigrant Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) of ex-prime minister Janez Jansa, who lost a parliamentary election in April to the environmentalist Freedom Movement of new Prime Minister Robert Golob.
Pirc Musar, a 54-year-old former TV presenter who is now an influential lawyer, campaigned on human rights, the rule of law and social welfare issues.
Musar is vying to become the first female president of the small ex-Yugoslav republic.
"While the president’s role in Slovenia is largely ceremonial, the election result will reflect voter support for liberal pro-EU political forces in relation to populist eurosceptic parties," the Teneo consultancy said before the election.
Although the role is mostly ceremonial, the president is commander in chief of the armed forces and also nominates several top officials, including the central bank governor. Most of those nominations also have to be confirmed by parliament.
The new president of Slovenia, a member of the European Union and NATO, will replace Borut Pahor, a former fashion model who served two terms and is often referred to in public as the Instagram president for his use of the social network.
Logar, 46, is a member of the eurosceptic, anti-immigrant Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) of ex-prime minister Janez Jansa, who lost a parliamentary election in April to the environmentalist Freedom Movement of new Prime Minister Robert Golob.
Pirc Musar, a 54-year-old former TV presenter who is now an influential lawyer, campaigned on human rights, the rule of law and social welfare issues.
Musar is vying to become the first female president of the small ex-Yugoslav republic.
"While the president’s role in Slovenia is largely ceremonial, the election result will reflect voter support for liberal pro-EU political forces in relation to populist eurosceptic parties," the Teneo consultancy said before the election.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
