Danilo Tuerk, Slovenia's former senior UN diplomat, convincingly
won Sunday's presidential run-off with 68.3 percent of the vote
against former Prime Minister Lojze Peterle, according to
unofficial results released after almost all the votes were counted
late on Sunday.
Presidential candidate
Danilo Tuerk (R) answers journalists questions in his headquarters
after hearing the first unofficial results of Slovenian
Presidential elections, in Ljubljana, Nov. 11,
2007.
Tuerk won 671,018 votes and Peterle 312,012 votes or 31.7
percent, the National Electoral Commission said, adding that
turnout was nearly 58 percent.
This is the fourth presidential election in Slovenia after its
independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.
Slovenia's presidential run-off closed at 7 PM (18:00 GMT) on
Sunday after 12 hours of voting, while exit polls showed Tuerk
winning the presidential run-off in a landslide.
Peterle conceded defeat on Sunday after the release of exit
polls.
"I congratulate Tuerk on the fair match. I admit I did not
expect such a gap," he told reporters, as exit polls were
released.
According to Peterle, the result is not a defeat, but a voice of
no-confidence for the current government. He said his rating
started dwindling when "polarization set in and I was being placed
on the government side."
Peterle, 59, entered the race with the support of all
center-right coalition parties, but he was formally running as an
independent.
Peterle was the front-runner in the first round of the election
on Oct. 21, but won only 28.73 percent of the total vote -- far
short of the required 50 percent for an outright victory. He is
also a Slovenian deputy in the European Parliament. Tuerk trailed
with four percentage points behind in the first round.
Tuerk, the 55-year-old law professor, also ran as an independent
but he was supported by the left-leaning opposition bloc.
"The situation in Slovenia is conducive to a new course, voters
wanted something new," Tuerk told the press in his first reaction
to the exit polls that show him winning in a landslide against
Peterle.
According to Tuerk, the comprehensive presidential campaign gave
him a chance to present his standpoints, with which he managed to
win over the voters.
Official results are to be announced on Nov. 19, after votes
from abroad are counted, but they cannot have a major impact on the
result.
Tuerk will be sworn in on Dec. 22, taking over from Janez
Drnovsek, who decided not to contest a second term.
The president is elected to a five-year term. The job is largely
ceremonial but it carries some authority over defense and foreign
matters.
(Xinhua News Agency November 12, 2007)
