The Slovenians elected a President of the Republic on Sunday. The liberal Natasa Pirc Musar, a 54-year-old lawyer, won with a comfortable majority: 54% of the vote against 46% for her conservative rival Anze Logar.
Renowned lawyer, motorcycle enthusiast, Natasa Pirc Musar headed the Slovenian data protection authority in the 2000s. Her compatriots saw her regularly on TV shows – she herself was a presenter. Without political experience, but endowed with a strong temperament, she believes that as president, she ” must have an opinion, and cannot be neutral “. It intends to be a moral authority in the face of potential political excesses.
Without the support of a established party “, she estimated on Sunday to have lived” a tougher campaign than its rivals, even if Liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob gave him his support after the first round. ” I was called a careerist, you would never say that of a man “, she had lambasted before, wanting to be” women’s voice in Slovenia and abroad.
This is a new setback for the conservatives who dreamed of revenge after their heavy defeat in the legislative elections in April. Anze Logar, 46, sent her congratulations to her rival, who will be officially sworn in on December 23. ” I expect her to be the president of all of us, that’s what Slovenia needs “, he reacted.
An essentially ceremonial function
The presidential function is essentially ceremonial in the country, but some Slovenes had indeed criticized his predecessor for his lack of reaction to the authoritarian turn of former Prime Minister Janez Jansa, whose last term was marred by numerous protest movements. protests, and political tensions.
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. Natasa Pirc Musar also recalled her attachment to the European Union and its democratic values. Concerned about “ turn the page of divisions in her words, the new president presented herself without a label to the voters. When the results were announced, she indicated that she would begin her mandate by receiving the leaders of all the political parties.