Natasa Pirc Musar poised to become Slovenia’s first female president

Nov. 12 (UPI) — Slovenian presidential candidate Natasa Pirc Musar is leading her opponent in pre-election polling, putting her in position to become the country’s first female president on Sunday.

Though both candidates are running as independents in the second-round runoff, her opponent, Anze Logar, is a member of the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party who served as foreign minister in the government of former Prime Minister Janez Jansa.

Musar, a prominent lawyer, worked for 15 years as a human rights expert for the Council of Europe and served as head of Slovenia’s data protection authority.

Logar won the first round of voting on Oct. 23 with 34% of the vote, while Musar received 27%. Because no candidate received a majority the election on Sunday will reach its second round.

A poll last week for public broadcaster RTV Slovenia shows Musar leading with 56% of prospective votes in the second round.

Regardless of the outcome, this election marks the end of an era for Slovenia, which has one of Europe’s most media savvy leaders in current President Borut Pahor.

Pahor was dubbed the “Europe’s Instagram President” in 2017 for his active use of the social media platform, where he frequently posts pictures of himself with world leaders like the late Queen Elizabeth II and celebrities such as Naomi Campbell.