She is the first woman to lead the country. Slovenia elected, on Sunday, November 13, as president, a renowned lawyer new to politics, Natasa Pirc Musar. The 54-year-old independent candidate, who in the past represented the interests of former American First Lady Melania Trump, of Slovenian origin, collected nearly 54% of the voting intentions, according to the results published by the Electoral Commission.
Former television presenter Natasa Pirc Musar clearly outdistances his conservative rival Anze Logar (46%), former Minister of Foreign Affairs and winner of the first round on October 23. During the campaign, Natasa Pirc Musar, who defines herself as “liberal”highlighted his desire to give more substance to this essentially ceremonial position. “The president cannot be neutral, he must have an opinion”, be “a moral authority”she underlined in the between-two rounds, questioned by AFP.
In a country divided after the protest-ridden tenure of ex-Prime Minister Janez Jansa, Natasa Pirc Musar called for “to unite” and turn the page “quarrels”. “My first action will be to invite all the leaders of the political parties to the presidential palace,” she said on Sunday evening in front of hundreds of supporters gathered around the capital Ljubljana, before popping the champagne.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen immediately hailed the victory. “As the first woman elected to the presidency, you are paving the way for future generations”she tweeted.
Čestitke, @nmusaron your election as president of the Republic of Slovenia.
As the first woman to be elected president, you have paved the way for future generations.
I look forward to working with you.
We share the goal of an ever stronger, democratic and resilient Union.—Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 13, 2022
The Slovenians turned out in relatively large numbers at the polls, with a turnout higher than that of the first round (53%), in this country of 2 million inhabitants, from the former Yugoslavia and member of the EU since 2004.