Slovenians go to polls for 2nd round of presidential elections

By Ahmet Nurduhan

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AA) - Slovenians are going to polls on Sunday for the second round of the presidential election.

The first round of the presidential elections was held on Oct. 23, and Slovenians are going to polls again as none of the candidates won over 50% of the votes.

Over 1.6 million registered voters are able to cast their votes at 7 a.m.-7 p.m. local time (0600-1800GMT) at the ballot boxes opened across the country.

People in Slovenia will choose between the center-right former Foreign Minister Anze Logar and independent female candidate Natasa Pirc Musar, supported by the European Green Party.

Slovenians will elect the fifth president after the declaration of independence in 1991 in the country.

The two candidates won the most votes among the seven contenders and advanced to the second round, the Slovenian State Election Commission said in a statement following the first round of the elections. In the first round, Logar won 33% of the votes, while Pirc Musar received 26%.

Another favorite candidate, Social Democrat Milan Brglez, backed by Freedom Movement leader and Prime Minister Robert Golob, received 15% of the votes and signaled for supporting Pirc Musar in the second round.

Around 50% of over 1.6 million registered voters cast their votes at the first round of the elections.