Večer wonders whether Slovenia could get woman president
Ljubljana - As Marta Kos, a vice president of the ruling Freedom Movement, and ex-Information Commissioner Nataša Pirc Musar are considering running for president, Večer wonders whether Slovenia will get its first woman president when incumbent Borut Pahor's second five-year term runs out in December and he cannot stand for a third term.
Both Kos and Pirc Musar are prominent women, experts with strong public presence and clear opinions, both are very media-savvy and both used to works as journalists, the paper says under the headline Shall It Be Woman President?
Kos will try to ride the wave of Freedom that won in a landslide in April, while Pirc Musar's will probably stand as an independent candidate, says Večer.
It goes on to note that last November the pair gave a news conference alongside Mateja Malnar Štembal and Emilija Stojmenova Duh to launch Ona (She), an association for networking women professionals and promoting know-how.
Its aim is to increase the share of women speaking in the media or at public events. At the time Kos presented some statistics, saying women appeared as guests in only 24% of media appearances in Slovenia.
Since then, Stojmenova Duh has entered the political arena and become minister for digital transformation, and Kos has become the Freedom Movement's vice president.
"Is the time coming when Slovenia will have its first woman president?" wonders Večer, adding that Alenka Bratušek became the first women prime minister in 2013 and Urška Klakočar Zupančič the first woman parliamentary speaker this year.
The presidential race will accelerate over the summer, and surprises are still possible. MEP Ljudmila Novak from New Slovenia (NSi) may also decide to run.
The question is also whether the Democrats have their own candidate, as Večer notes that the right's attempts to get to Presidential Palace have been unsuccessful so far.