October 20 (SeeNews) - Slovenia will hold its sixth presidential elections on Sunday, with polls giving a strong lead to incumbent president Borut Pahor.
If successful, Pahor, 53, will become the first Slovenian president to win a second term in 15 years.
Pahor was the prime minister of Slovenia until February 2012, prior to which his government lost a confidence vote amid an economic crisis in the country. In December that same year, however, he become president on some two-thirds of the vote.
Pahor is running as an independent, after previously being elected on the ticket of the Social Democrats.
Nine candidate are competing for the president's seat.
According to a poll conducted by Serbia-based agency Ninamedia on Friday, with results published on Twitter by Europe Elects, Pahor is backed by 54% of voters.
His biggest rival is Marjan Sarec, a former comic actor who was most recently the mayor of the Kamnik municipality. Sarec is a fierce critic of Pahor, whom he has branded a celebrity in politics and criticised him for being afraid of decision making. He has no party affiliation. According to Ninamedia, Sarec will draw in 21% of the votes.
Running neck-to-neck, Romana Tomc, the candidate of the Slovenian Democratic Party, and the leader of the New Slovenia (NSi) party, Ljudmila Novak, each enjoy 9% voter support.
Dr. Maja Makovec Brencic of the Modern Centre Party, headed by incumbent prime minister Miro Cerar, is expected to gain 2% of the votes - as much as the mayor of Koper Boris Popovic, backed by the Slovenia Forever party, Andrej Sisko of the United Slovenia party, and Suzana Lara Krause of the Slovenian People's Party, according to Ninamedia.
Ninamedia puts Angelca Likovic, a former headmistress of an elementary school, last on 1% of the votes.
KEY FACTS ABOUT THE PARLIAMENTARY VOTE:
* Candidates for president are selected by 10 members of the National Assembly, or one or more political parties and either three members of the National Assembly or 3,000 voters, or 5,000 voters.
* A president is elected on a simple majority.
* If no candidate receives more than 50% of votes, the top two candidates meet in a second round of voting in three weeks.
* The role of the president is mostly ceremonial, but he/she is also the head of the country's armed forces.
* A president is elected for a five year term.
* Any Slovenian citizen can run for president, but can only hold two consecutive terms.
* Slovenia faces parliamentary elections next year.
* The new president will be sworn in on December 22, when Pahor's term expires.
* Voters will cast ballots across the country, between 7 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) and 7 p.m. (1800 GMT).
Slovenia, a country of two million people, joined the EU in 2004 and became the 13th member of the eurozone in January 2007.
Slovenia gained independence from ex-Yugoslavia in 1991.