Svetina had emerged as a top candidate along with philosopher Rok Svetlič after Pahor held three-day consultations with the parliamentary parties last week.

Svetina enjoyed the support of several coalition and some opposition parties, which was perhaps the deciding point as the human rights ombudsman needs a two-third majority in the 90-member parliament to be appointed.

With the nomination coming at the beginning of this week, the National Assembly could vote on the proposal during January's plenary session.

Svetina is a special education expert and a social entrepreneur who has been working with persons with special needs for all his professional life both practically and theoretically.

Since June 2015, he has been running the Grunt institute for social entrepreneurship in the countryside, based in Komenda, north-west of Ljubljana. He is also a co-founder of the institute.

Between 1992 and 1999, he worked in Austria with persons and students with special needs, and since 1999 he has also been mentoring students of various faculties of the Universities of Ljubljana and Maribor.

He has co-authored several handbooks on work with persons with special needs and participated in the drafting of legislation in the field of employment of and work with persons with special needs.

Svetina will present himself to the public and media at the Presidential Palace on Friday.