Borut Pahor wins Slovenia runoff
Ljubljana, Slovenia - Slovenia’s Internet-savvy President Borut Pahor on Sunday won a second term in a runoff vote that was marred by an abysmally low turnout.
Centre-left ex-prime minister Pahor (54) had been touted to win in October, but a record low 44-per cent turnout triggered a repeat vote, with 1.7mn people called back to the ballot box.
On Sunday, Pahor, who took 47.1 per cent in the first round, garnered 53.1 per cent of the ballot in which turnout was around 40.1 per cent, according to nearcomplete results.
His rival Marjan Sarec, a 39 year old former comic actor and now a local mayor portraying himself as anti-establishment, gained 46.9 per cent. He had 24.9 per cent in the first round.
The presidency is largely ceremonial in the small EU country.
Polls published on Friday by the Dnevnik and Delo dailies put Pahor on 52-56 per cent against 44-47 per cent for Sarec.
“Pahor has been rather defensive in the run-off, underlining his achievements, merits and friends, which has seemed unattractive,” analyst Miha Kovac said after a final televised debate on Thursday. “That could turn against him, in particular if turnout is low,” he said.
Dubbed the ‘Instagram president’ by the media, former model Pahor hiked around the country to campaign for re-election, chatting to supporters and posting photos and videos to his 40,000 Instagram fans.
However, his detractors call him ‘Barbie’, and Slovenia’s first president Milan Kucan accused Pahor of cheapening the role of head of state and using it for selfpromotion. Pahor stepped down as prime minister in 2011 after his government collapsed at the height of the financial crisis that drove eurozone member Slovenia close to needing a bailout.