he main national Independence and Unity Day ceremony will be held this evening at Cankarjev dom with a keynote address by National Council President Mitja Bervar, preceded by a ceremonial session of the National Assembly.

Prime Minister Miro Cerar and Defence Minister Andreja Katič will host a reception for the relatives of those who died in the independence war, while Archbishop of Ljubljana Stanislav Zore will say homeland mass at the Ljubljana Cathedral.

The ceremonies cap a year of nation-wide celebrations of a quarter century of Slovenia's independence.

Slovenians voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence at the 23 December 1990 referendum, endorsing the split from Yugoslavia with a majority of almost 95%, equalling 88.5% of all eligible voters.

Three days later, on 26 December, 1990 the National Assembly declared the results, triggering a fateful year that included the declaration of independence in June 1990 and a brief independence war.

Legally, the independence efforts were wrapped up on 23 December 1991, when the National Assembly declared the Slovenian Constitution. This is why 23 December is observed as Constitutional Day.