Slovenia elects first female president Nataša Pirc Musar

Musar's election is a second significant victory for the Slovenian left, following Golob's victory in April.

By Joe Fisher

A man passes near a huge pre-election poster of presidential candidate Natasa Pirc Musar in downtown Ljubljana, Slovenia, November, 10, 2022. File Photo by Antonio Bat/EPA-EFE

Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Slovenia elected its first female president Nataša Pirc Musar on Sunday following a run-off election.

Pirc Musar, a liberal lawyer and former journalist, defeated right-wing candidate Anze Logar, carrying more than 53% of the vote. She vowed to be more vocal than her predecessor, Borut Pahor, who served two five-year terms as president and was colloquially referred to as an "Instagram president."

"I have never been quiet when it was necessary to speak up, especially not in the last two years", she said in September while campaigning, according to The Guardian.

"After the last Janez Janša government took over I spoke out, because the rule of law was falling apart before our very eyes."

Janša was succeeded by Robert Golob as Prime Minister this summer. Golob is a member of the Freedom Movement, which is a socially liberal progressive party.

Both candidates ran as independents, but Logar is part of the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party. Musar does not align with a party. She was a human rights expert serving the Council of Europe for 15 years and served as head of Slovenia's data protection authority.

The new president was a television journalist for Pop TV in Slovenia for five years. She was an attorney for Melania Trump, focusing on protecting her name and likeness from misuse while U.S. President Donald Trump was in office.

Musar's election is a second significant victory for the Slovenian left, following Golob's victory in April.