Slovenia elects first feminine president By Reuters

By Katja Lihtenvalner

LJUBLJANA (Reuters) -Natasa Pirc Musar, a lawyer, received the second spherical of Slovenia’s presidential election on Sunday and can turn into its first feminine head of state, preliminary outcomes confirmed.

Pirc Musar, 54, received 53.83 p.c of votes within the runoff, whereas her rival, right-wing politician and former international minister Andze Logar, received 46.17 p.c, in response to election fee knowledge based mostly on 86.7 p.c of the votes counted.

Turnout was 49.9 p.c, the commision knowledge confirmed.

Though the function is generally ceremonial, the president is commander in chief of the armed forces and in addition nominates a number of high officers, together with the central financial institution governor. A lot of the nominations must be confirmed by parliament.

The brand new president of Slovenia, an EU and NATO member state, will change Borut Pahor who has been energetic in politics for 30 years. A former style mannequin who served two five-year phrases, Pahor is usually referred to in public because the Instagram president for his frequent use of the social community.

“I anticipate the subsequent president to care about us, the residents, to signify Slovenia in a superb method,” Uros Pinter stated after casting his poll in Ljubljana. “I feel it’s time for a feminine president.”

Pirc Musar, a former TV presenter who turned an influential lawyer, campaigned on human rights, the rule of regulation and social welfare points.

Her rival Logar, 46, is a member of the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Social gathering (SDS) of former prime minister Janez Jansa, who misplaced April’s parliamentary election to the environmentalist Freedom Motion of Prime Minister Robert Golob.

Logar’s marketing campaign slogan was: “Let’s work collectively for the long run”. He had centered in his speeches on conventional household values and faith within the largely Roman Catholic nation.