Conservative leads Slovenia presidential poll

Conservative Lojze Peterle was set to win the first round of Slovenia's presidential election on Sunday, However, he may lose to the centre-left runner-up in a run-off next month. Conservative leads Slovenia presidential poll With 99.6 percent of the votes for seven candidates counted by 2005 GMT, preliminary official results showed Peterle was leading with 28.5 percent -- well below the 50 percent needed to secure an outright victory. If he wins the November 11 run-off, the former prime minister would become the European Union member's first right-of-centre president since it became independent in 1991. But analysts say Peterle, whose election showing was well below opinion polls forecasts that gave him up to 41.4 percent of the vote, will have a much harder time in the run-off, when the left wing will support a single candidate. Peterle -- supported by most parties in Prime Minister Janez Jansa's conservative government -- is likely to compete against Danilo Turk, a former diplomat backed by the left. Turk got 24.6 percent of the votes, ahead of another centre-left candidate, Mitja Gaspari, with 24.2 percent. "Peterle is actually a loser in this round as the result shows he is likely to lose to a centre-left candidate in the second round," Mateja Babic, a political commentator at daily Delo, told Reuters. The winner will be inaugurated only days before Slovenia takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU on Jan 1. Although a largely ceremonial post, the president features prominently in international contacts. Final results for this round are expected by the end of October. Analysts said the outcome showed general discontent with Jansa's government, which is struggling to contain high inflation after adopting the euro in January. Since 1991, Slovenia's presidents have been left-leaning. A victory for Peterle, 59, would break the pattern. Slovenia's governments were also mostly centre left until Jansa's conservative coalition won a parliamentary election in 2004, the year Slovenia joined the EU and NATO. "The competition was very balanced because of the quality of candidates and the result is tight," Peterle told state television TV Slovenia. The winner will replace Janez Drnovsek, a popular veteran left winger who frequently clashed with Jansa's government, who is not running for a second five-year term as president. Turnout was 57 percent, down from 72 percent in the first round of the presidential election in 2002. Analysts said the outcome of the second round would be a good indicator of the political mood ahead of a parliamentary election next year. "If a centre-left candidate wins in the second round, which seems very likely according to this result, that will give additional self-assurance to centre-left parties," said Borut Hocevar, an editor at daily Zurnal 24.

Conservative leads Slovenia presidential poll

With 99.6 percent of the votes for seven candidates counted by 2005 GMT, preliminary official results showed Peterle was leading with 28.5 percent -- well below the 50 percent needed to secure an outright victory.

If he wins the November 11 run-off, the former prime minister would become the European Union member's first right-of-centre president since it became independent in 1991.

But analysts say Peterle, whose election showing was well below opinion polls forecasts that gave him up to 41.4 percent of the vote, will have a much harder time in the run-off, when the left wing will support a single candidate.

Peterle -- supported by most parties in Prime Minister Janez Jansa's conservative government -- is likely to compete against Danilo Turk, a former diplomat backed by the left.

Turk got 24.6 percent of the votes, ahead of another centre-left candidate, Mitja Gaspari, with 24.2 percent.

"Peterle is actually a loser in this round as the result shows he is likely to lose to a centre-left candidate in the second round," Mateja Babic, a political commentator at daily Delo, told Reuters.

The winner will be inaugurated only days before Slovenia takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU on Jan 1. Although a largely ceremonial post, the president features prominently in international contacts.

Final results for this round are expected by the end of October.

Analysts said the outcome showed general discontent with Jansa's government, which is struggling to contain high inflation after adopting the euro in January.

Since 1991, Slovenia's presidents have been left-leaning. A victory for Peterle, 59, would break the pattern.

Slovenia's governments were also mostly centre left until Jansa's conservative coalition won a parliamentary election in 2004, the year Slovenia joined the EU and NATO.

"The competition was very balanced because of the quality of candidates and the result is tight," Peterle told state television TV Slovenia.

The winner will replace Janez Drnovsek, a popular veteran left winger who frequently clashed with Jansa's government, who is not running for a second five-year term as president.

Turnout was 57 percent, down from 72 percent in the first round of the presidential election in 2002. Analysts said the outcome of the second round would be a good indicator of the political mood ahead of a parliamentary election next year.

"If a centre-left candidate wins in the second round, which seems very likely according to this result, that will give additional self-assurance to centre-left parties," said Borut Hocevar, an editor at daily Zurnal 24.