Ljubljana - Anže Logar, an MP for the opposition Democrats (SDS) and former foreign minister, filed his candidacy for the 23 October presidential election on Wednesday. He filed it with the support of 5,000 voter signatures, which makes him an independent candidate, while his bid was also endorsed by the SDS.

Logar wants to promote an encouraging business environment, youth inclusion and green transformation, as well as security and foreign policy, which, in his view, will require participation of all politicians.

"Even if we have different world views, we definitely have something that unites us. And in this respect I think we must unite these positive areas and step into tomorrow with great strides and confidence for Slovenia to breathe at the top of its lungs and use everything it has at its disposal," he said on the occasion.

Ex-SDS MEP Romana Jordan, who signed Logar's candidacy as the first to support him, believes that Logar is exactly the kind of candidate for president Slovenia needs. She knows him to be "a person who thinks, who is open to diversity, tolerant and inclusive".

Asked whether he was trying to distance himself from the SDS in the election campaign, Logar said he intended to "advocate the positions that he himself advocates", as he has done so far.

He will not provide his signature for the three referendums sought by the SDS, but intends to listen to the debate during the campaign and take part in the vote if the referendums take place.

Logar said that while the left saw him as being "far-right", the opposition New Slovenia (NSi) accused him of moving strongly to "the centre-ground or centre-left".

"On the left, they say I'm a far-right winger, in the NSi they say I'm on the left, which means I'm the right candidate for president who will be the president of all citizens, of all Slovenians."

Logar was also asked whether he would act the same as President Borut Pahor to recall Ambassador to the US Tone Kajzer upon the government's request after the latter leaked a confidential cable to SDS leader Janez Janša.

Logar said the law said the government dismisses an ambassador after consulting the president of the republic, so he would not have done so before the consultation.

On Tuesday, Pahor decided to recall Kajzer, who was appointed ambassador when Logar was foreign minister (2020-2022), but the president expressed his dissatisfaction that the government had not consulted him beforehand.