Zagreb (EFE).- For the first time in 31 years of independent and democratic history, the former Yugoslav Republic of Slovenia will have a woman in the next five years with Natasa Pirc Musar as President of the Republic.
The center-left independent candidate won the second round of the presidential election on Sunday against former conservative foreign minister Anze Logar.
In the first electoral round, on October 23, Pirc Musar had again been beaten by Logar, who came second, with 27%, against 34% for his rival.
With his successful professional career in both journalism and law, Pic Musar argued in the campaign that he had acquired enough experience and the personal passion to lead the country with dignity and determination.
“With great experience and 54 years of life, I am at the peak of my vital capacity and I can do something for Slovenia”, he assured before the elections.
This, he specifies, means fighting first from the presidency for the eradication of poverty and tirelessly defending the rule of law.
“The President must act so that Slovenia is a state of law and society, as provided for in the Constitution. Always and everywhere. Clearly and emphatically,” he said during the campaign.
His candidacy was supported by two centre-left former presidents, Milan Kucan and Danilo Türk.
Pirc Musar, a long-term president
After studying law in Ljubljana, Pirc Musar worked for a decade as a journalist and host of the main news program of Slovenian public television TVSlo and the largest commercial broadcaster PopTv.
An expert on data protection and access to public information, she rose to popularity between 2004 and 2014 as an information commissioner, punishing politicians who violated transparency rules.
She was Vice-President (2009) and President (2013) of the Joint Supervisory Body of Europol and for more than ten years she participated in various Council of Europe projects.
After obtaining a doctorate in law from the University of Vienna (Austria) in 2015, his law firm quickly became one of the most prestigious in the country.
Among his clients is Melania Trump, the Slovenian wife of former US President Donald Trump.
Her husband, Ales Musar, is a billionaire businessman, and her son, Maks, 21, is a Pirate Party candidate in the November 20 local elections.
A month later, on December 23, Pirc Musar will officially take over as president, succeeding Borut Pahor, also of the centre-left, who is retiring after two five-year terms.