Right-wing candidate in lead as Slovenia heads for runoff vote

Issued on: 24/10/2022 – 00:58

The country’s conservatives saw the vote as a opportunity to regain some support after their defeat in April parliamentary elections.

But it was commonly envisioned that no candidate would clinch the 50 per cent support wanted for an outright victory.

“Final results have confirmed that our slogan, ‘we do the job with each other for the future’, has been welcomed by citizens,” Logar, 46, claimed in his initial reaction to the partial final results.

Electors in the little Alpine EU member of two million persons on Sunday chose from 7 candidates standing for the mostly ceremonial put up.

A second round will now choose put in November.

With 60 p.c of the votes counted, Logar, an ex-foreign minister underneath the previous conservative federal government, received 33.75 p.c of the vote.

His principal rival, Slovenia’s former head of the facts safety authority, centre-left unbiased candidate Natasa Pirc Musar, been given 27 % of the vote.

Liberal Key Minister Robert Golob backed European Social Democrats parliament member, Milan Brglez, and called on centre-still left functions to unite behind a person prospect.

The 55-12 months-outdated Brglez finished third with 15.7 p.c of the vote.

Golob afterwards on Sunday advised public television channel RTV Slovenija: “We will back Mrs Natasa Pirc Musar mainly because we share her frequent values.”

Political newcomer Golob and his Freedom Motion celebration gained extra than a third of votes in the April 24 election soon after mass protests in excess of a crackdown on civil liberties by the past authorities of Janez Jansa.

Critics accused three-time premier Jansa of attacking media freedom and the judiciary and undermining the rule of legislation in his most up-to-date term in business.

All through the marketing campaign Jansa did not publicly guidance Logar, who pledged to be a president “bringing collectively” men and women from all political sides.

“I have offered myself and my ideas as they are: reasonable, and my campaign will continue being like that,” Logar reported minutes just before Jansa arrived at his headquarters to greet him on Sunday night.

Pirc Musar, hoping to develop into Slovenia’s initial woman president, confronted sturdy assaults in excess of her husband’s beneficial organizations at residence and abroad during electoral campaigning.

But the 54-yr-aged has gained the backing of unbiased Slovenia’s to start with president, reformed communist Milan Kucan, who reported it was “time for a woman president”.

Incumbent Borut Pahor, a previous Social Democrat, could not run for re-election after obtaining held the submit for two 5-yr mandates.

(AFP)