Ljubljana - The 26th Ljubljana Marathon will coincide with the presidential election on 23 October after the organisers of the biggest such event in the country declined the appeal by the National Electoral Commission to consider changing the date to let voters access polling stations without disruption.

"Voters should have unhindered access to the polling stations guaranteed throughout from 7am to 7pm, something that road closures during the marathon would definitely make difficult and for some even impossible," the National Electoral Commission stated on Tuesday.

In order not to interfere with the right to vote, the commission called on the organisers to ensure free access to the polling stations throughout the opening hours, or else consider moving the marathon to some other date.

The organizers responded on Wednesday by saying they were not considering changing the date of the marathon, but were "sure we can together find the best solutions to guarantee voters unhindered access to the polling stations, and runners to feel safe in the most massive running event in Slovenia".

They said the date of the marathon was set as early as October last year and runners have been registering for the event since 21 March, while the date of the presidential election was set on 19 July.

As soon as the election writs were issued, they started preparations to ensure smooth access to the polling stations, "including increasing the number of volunteers and security guards along the route who will help voters cross the parts of the course leading to polling stations".