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Election Date: November 11, 2007

At stake: President

Background

Slovenia joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918, following the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I. The Kingdom was renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. Slovenia—occupied by German and Italian forces during World War II—remained a Yugoslav republic until its independence in 1991.

Slovenia—the most affluent and politically liberated region of the former Yugoslavia—was able to enact a quick transfer to sovereignty, staying away from the ethnic violence clashes that took place in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In 2002, Janez Drnovsek—leader of the Liberal Democracy of Slovenia (LDS)—won the presidential election in a run-off over former justice minister Barbara Brezigar with 56.5 per cent of the vote. Drnovsek had acted as Slovenia's prime minister since 1992, briefly losing his post for six months in 2000 to Andrej Bajuk after losing a no confidence vote.

The October 2000 State Chamber election resulted in a new mandate for the LDS-led alliance, which includes the United List of Social-Democrats (ZLSD), the SLS + SKD Slovenian People's Party (SLS+SKD) and the Democratic Party of Retired People of Slovenia (DeSUS).

Anton Rop of the LDS took over as head of government after Drnovsek's 2002 election, maintaining the coalition government.

In 2004, Slovenia joined both the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Citizens had backed the country's entry into the two groups in a March 2003 referendum. In the October 2004 legislative ballot, the Social Democratic Party of Slovenia (SDS) secured 29 seats. SDS leader Janez Jansa took over as prime minister.

Click here for 2004 Slovenia Election Tracker

In November 2006, Slovenian prime minister Janez Jansa sacked labour minister Janez Drobnic, who caused a controversy after suggesting financial restrictions on abortion as a measure to increase the country's birth rate. Jansa explained his decision, saying, "Too often he acted without harmonizing his activities, he had too many proposals that were not considered carefully and caused useless conflicts."

2007 Presidential Election

The first round of the Slovenian presidential election was scheduled for Oct. 21. Liberal Democracy of Slovenia (LDS) leader Janez Drnovsek repeatedly stated he would not seek a new five-year term in office. The president serves as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but is regarded as a mostly ceremonial dignitary.

In November 2006, Lojze Peterle launched his presidential candidacy. Peterle served as Slovenia's prime minister from May 1990 to May 1992, and was elected to the European Parliament in 2004 as a member of the New Slovenia Christian People's Party (NSi).

On Jan. 1, 2007, Slovenia became the first of the 10 nations that joined the European Union (EU) in May 2004 to adopt the Euro.

On Jul. 20, speaker France Cukjati officially announced the date for the presidential election. Aside from Peterle, three other high-profile candidates have announced bids: Former Central Bank governor Mitja Gaspari, who oversaw the introduction of the euro in Slovenia; international law professor Danilo Tuerk, who worked with former United Nations (UN) secretary-general Kofi Annan; and European Parliament member Zmago Jelincic of the Slovenian National Party (SNS).

A July poll published in Delo placed Peterle in first place, followed by Tuerk, Gaspari and Jelincic. Still, no candidate appeared capable of garnering more than 50 per cent of all cast ballots, so a run-off seems likely.

In late July, a group of unaffiliated legislators backed Tuerk’s presidential bid. Tuerk had already been endorsed by the opposition Social Democratic Party of Slovenia (SDS) and the Democratic Party of Retired People of Slovenia (DeSUS).

SDS president Borut Pahor said after announcing his party’s decision to support Tuerk: “Slovenia deserves a good president and we believe that Danilo Tuerk is a person who can meet the high expectations of our citizens.”

On Aug. 17, Slovenian foreign minister Dimitrij Rupel called for international arbitration over a lingering border dispute with Croatia, saying, "An international authority should answer the question, where the borders were on June 25, 1991. We for example claim that it runs on line A, and the Croatians claim that it runs along line B. Judges will have to decide about this."

In July, the national registered unemployment rate in Slovenia stood at 7.6 per cent. In September, World Bank economist Jan Rutkowski said former communist states have undergone a “major shift” towards a better job market, adding, “Two years ago, there were a lot of people looking for jobs, but there were no jobs.”

On Oct. 10, Samuel Zbogar, Slovenia’s ambassador to the United States, praised the European country’s progress in economic and legal matters over the past few years, adding, “Once you start to negotiate (EU) membership, you get caught in an upward spiral. They tell you what kind of institutions you need” to develop.

First round voting took place on Oct. 21. Final results placed Peterle ahead with 28.54 per cent of the vote, followed by Tuerk with 24.52 per cent, and Gaspari with 24.15 per cent. Peterle declared: “The competition was very balanced because of the quality of candidates and the result is tight. The campaign will be sharper in the future because only two candidates will be left.”

Since no candidate garnered more than 50 per cent of the vote, a run-off will was scheduled for Nov. 11.

On Oct. 30, Peterle vowed to continue professing a moderate discourse, saying, “Polarization cannot prepare us for the right answers to challenges ahead of us.”

Run-off voting took place on Nov. 11. Final results gave Tuerk a victory with 68.23 per cent of the vote.

Peterle conceded defeat after the polls closed, saying, “I congratulate Mr. Tuerk on his victory. I wish him all the best in leading the country for the next five years.” Tuerk declared: “I’m very happy with the results as they appear now. I want to be a president who is uniting people. My message to the Slovenian people is, ‘Let’s work together for the further improvement of our country in all fields’.”

Tuerk was sworn in as president on Dec. 22.

Political Players

President: Danilo Tuerk
Prime minister: Janez Jansa - SDS

Legislative Branch: The Skupscina Slovenije (Assembly of Slovenia) has two chambers. The Drzavni Zbor (State Chamber) has 90 members, elected to four-year terms; 88 members are elected by proportional representation and two members are elected by ethnic minorities. The Drzavni Svet (State Council) has 40 members; 18 members represent local councils and 22 members represent both commercial and non-commercial interests.

Results of Last Election:

President - Oct. 21 and Nov. 11, 2007

State Chamber - Oct. 3, 2004

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