Boston Globe Online: Print it! THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING Slovenia prime minister coasting to presidency By Eugene Brcic, Associated Press, 11/10/2002 LJUBLJANA, Slovenia - There can be no mistaking that this former Yugoslav republic sees itself as part of the West. Modern multilane highways that look like German autobahns link the capital, Ljubljana, to Italy and Austria, while those heading eastward to Croatia become narrow, bumpy two-lane roads. As Slovenians choose a president today, they are expected to reward the man widely credited with moving the country so quickly toward the West Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek. Drnovsek, who has led the country since 1992 except for six months in 2000, is the clear favorite to succeed the outgoing president, Milan Kucan - himself a popular statesmen who is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term. If Drnovsek, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, wins, he will become the second president of this tiny Alpine country of 2 million, which won its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Although eight other candidates are on the ballot for the largely ceremonial post, all polls predict that Drnovsek will easily defeat his rivals. Some polls have even indicated that the 52-year-old - who underwent surgery to have a cancerous kidney removed three years ago - could muster more than 50 percent of the ballot in the first round and avoid a runoff. This story ran on page A12 of the Boston Globe on 11/10/2002. © Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company. BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Prime minister ahead in Slovenia election CATEGORIES TV RADIO COMMUNICATE WHERE I LIVE INDEX SEARCH ------------Text Only Feedback Help 1 LANGUAGES EDITIONS Change to World Sunday, 10 November, 2002, 20:33 GMT Prime minister ahead in Slovenia election Drnovsek will most likely still face a run off Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek has won the most votes in Slovenia's presidential election, according to partial official results. However he does not seem to have won enough support to avoid a second-round run-off. With more than one quarter of ballots counted, results showed that Mr Drnovsek, the election favourite, had won about 45% of the vote. His closest rival, former state prosecutor Barbara Brezigar who was expected to mount a strong challenge, has about 30% of the vote. None of the other seven candidates won more than 10% of the vote, French news agency AFP reported. Mr Drnovsek, who is backed by outgoing president Milan Kucan, told Slovenian radio that he was "pleased" with the provisional results but that he "expected" to go to a second round. Transition The election marks the end of an era for Slovenia, with the retirement of the man who led the country to independence from Yugoslavia. Mr Kucan, the country's president since 1990 and referred to by many Slovenes as "the father of the nation", is standing down after more than a decade in office. Mr Drnovsek was always the clear favourite; prime minister since 1992, he is credited with steering the country through its transition to a market economy. If elected for the largely ceremonial post of president, his main task will be to take Slovenia into the European Union and Nato negotiations are due to be completed in the next few months. Slovenia escaped almost unscathed from the disintegration of the old Yugoslavia - its self-proclaimed war of independence in 1991 lasted 10 days and claimed a handful of lives. See also: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 © MMII | News Sources | Privacy International News Slovenian prime minister dominates in presidential race By EUGENE BRCIC The Associated Press 11/10/02 6:56 PM LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) -- Slovenia's prime minister dominated in presidential elections Sunday, bolstered by his push to align the tiny alpine nation closer with Western Europe, early results showed. Janez Drnovsek, 52, won support with a pragmatic style that has steered the country away from the intrigues of the Balkans and into the European mainstream, but fell short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff. "I am optimistic about the second round," Drnovsek said. "I am glad that so many people support me at this stage." With 95 percent of the vote counted, the State Electoral Commission gave him 44.4 percent of the vote. He will face prosecutor Barbara Brezigar who finished with 31 percent, in a runoff Dec. 1. "I am very pleased with the results," Brezigar said. "I think we need to see new people leading this country." The race will choose the successor to Milan Kucan, the leader credited with bringing Slovenia independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. The 61year-old Kucan is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term. Drnovsek, who has been premier since 1992 for all but a brief period in 2000, was among nine candidates who sought the ceremonial post. If there is no outright winner, the two top candidates will face off in a second round of voting on Dec. 1. Drnovsek downplayed the possibility of outright victory Sunday as he voted at a fire station near his house. "It's hard to expect victory in the first round," he said. "There are so many candidates. It is more realistic to expect a second round." The weather was cool but sunny, and officials predicted a big turnout among the country's 1.6 million eligible voters. Drnovsek's main challenger was who has built a reputation for She served as justice minister interrupted Drnovsek's rule in Brezigar, a 49-year-old state prosecutor fighting organized crime and corruption. in the short-lived government that 2000. In third place was a nationalist, Zmago Jelincic, with 8.5 percent. The other candidates include a former director of the central bank, France Arhar; a former parliamentary speaker, France Bucar; university lecturers Lev Kreft and Anton Bleber; an artist, Gorazd Drevensek; and a scientist, Jure Cekuta. 3 An economist by training, Drnovsek has endeared himself to voters with a no-nonsense style and an embrace of the West. Under his leadership, Slovenia has moved swiftly toward membership in Western organizations -- successes which he referred to often in the campaign. "When I started off in politics my vision was clear -- the European Union and NATO," he said recently. "Now we are only a step away." The mild-mannered politician has suffered, however, from fragile health since having a cancerous kidney removed three years ago. Despite Drnovsek's popularity, he doesn't lack critics. Some of his rivals have accused him of acting against the country's long-term interests by selling profitable state companies in his zeal to move toward a market economy. He is counting, however, on voters like Bisera Dolenc, a 44-year-old secretary, to reward his vision. "I voted for the man who has successfully led us into Western Europe because he will know to how to lead us further," Dolenc said. The country is expected to receive an invitation to join NATO at a summit in the Czech Republic later this month and is set to join the EU in 2004. Slovenia has one of the Continent's most promising economies, with low inflation and unemployment and steady annual growth at around 4 percent. It is also one of Europe's safest countries. Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Asia-Pacific Home Print Email Tuesday, November 12, 2002. Posted: 00:50:13 (AEDT) Slovenian President to step down Slovenian President Milan Kucan, who led the country to independence in a move which triggered a series of wars that tore Yugoslavia apart, is to step down on December 23. Ex-communist Mr Kucan, 61, who is also commander-in-chief of Slovenia's armed forces, has held senior posts in the tiny Alpine country for 16 years. 4 He studied politics at the Ljubljana Law Faculty in 1964, began his political career in the former Yugoslav League of Communists, and rose to lead Slovenia's communists in 1986. The group was among the first to urge the Yugoslav Federation to make democratic changes after lifelong President Josip Broz, known as "Tito", died, leaving Yugoslavia without a strong leader. Slovenia's calls for change shook the structure of the federation and polarised its six republics, with Mr Kucan on one side and on the other Serb President Slobodan Milosevic, currently standing trial for genocide and war crimes in The Hague. Aware that the era of communist rules was over, Mr Kucan led reforms of Slovenia's communists and was elected president of the Yugoslav Republic of Slovenia in its first democratic ballots in 1990. As nationalistic feeling spread throughout Yugoslavia's republics, Mr Kucan backed Slovenia's bid for independence despite warnings from the United States that the state, with its 2 million population, would not be internationally recognised. Slovenia and neighbouring Croatia were the first former Yugoslav republics to proclaim independence on June 25, 1991, a move, opposed by Belgrade, that triggered a series of wars as Yugoslavia tore apart. A day later a week long conflict between the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), based in Slovenia, and local defence erupted, ending with the withdrawal of the JNA troops. In 1992 Mr Kucan easily won independent Slovenia's first presidential elections as an independent candidate, and in 1997 he was elected to his second and final mandate. As his term comes to an end, Mr Kucan has made it clear that he is not retiring for good and will still be part of domestic and international political life in the central European country. Seen as the discreet but strong father of the nation, Mr Kucan can often be found climbing Slovenia's highest peak on the Triglav Mountain without any bodyguards. Print Email © 2002 Australian Broadcasting Corporation This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), AAP(International), APTN, Reuters, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of UTC (Greenwich Mean Time) 5 LANGUAGES EDITIONS Change to World Monday, 11 November, 2002, 19:57 GMT Slovenia poll goes to second round The election's second round will be held on 1 December Voters in Slovenia will have to go to the polls for a second time to choose the new president who will have the task of negotiating the country's entry into the European Union and Nato. First-round results Janez Drnovsek: 44.36% Barbara Brezigar: 30.75% The country's Prime Minister, Janez Drnovsek, won the most votes in the presidential poll held on Sunday, but failed to secure the 50% of the vote needed to avoid a run-off. He will now face his nearest rival, the centre-right candidate Barbara Brezigar, in the second round of voting on 1 December. Drnovsek: Clear favourite to win Turnout was high, at more than 71%, in Sunday's historic ballot to replace President Milan Kucan, who led the former Yugoslav republic to independence. Mr Drnovsek is head of the Liberal Democrats and he is being backed by Mr Kucan. Even though his victory in the run-off round is widely predicted, the growing popularity of Ms Brezigar could make her a tougher challenger than expected. Click here for a map of Slovenia None of the other seven candidates won more than 10% of the vote, French news agency AFP reported. Transition 6 The election marks the end of an era for Slovenia, with the retirement of the man who led the country to independence from Yugoslavia. Mr Kucan, the country's president since 1990 and referred to by many Slovenes as "the father of the nation", is standing down after more than a decade in office. Mr Drnovsek was always the clear favourite; prime minister since 1992, he is credited with steering the country through its transition to a market economy. If elected for the largely ceremonial post of president, his main task will be to take Slovenia into the European Union and Nato - negotiations are due to be completed in the next few months. Slovenia escaped almost unscathed from the disintegration of the old Yugoslavia - its self-proclaimed war of independence in 1991 lasted 10 days and claimed a handful of lives. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Web posted on November 11, 2002 at 9:00:00 AM CET End of an era in Slovenia Noel Grima, Political Editor The first round of the presidential election in Slovenia yesterday did not produce an outright winner, but it did bring an end to an era in Slovenian history. Yesterdays election marks the end of the second term for Milan Kucan, the only president Slovenia has ever had in its short 11-year history. Present Prime Minister Jane Drnov1ek obtained between 45 and 47 per cent of the polls, according to exit polls published a few minutes after voting ended at 7pm. He thus goes into the Barbara Brezigar, the per cent of the vote. representative to the April 1989. second round, held in three weeks time against state prosecutor, who obtained between 25 and 28 Mr. Drnov1sek was elected as Slovenias collective presidency of the former Yugoslavia in In March 1992, he became head of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDS) and later that year he became prime minister of Slovenia. He started his second term in office following LDS victory at parliamentary elections in 1992. His third term at the prime ministers office began in 1997 but ended prematurely after he failed to survive a no-confidence vote in 2000. Parliamentary elections in November 2000 put Mr Drnov1ek back in office. Ms Brezigar began her legal career as district state prosecutor at the Ljubljana public prosecutors office in 1980. In 1996 she was appointed as the first head of a special task force of public prosecutors, a team within the state prosecutors office in charge of fighting organised crime. She was appointed minister of justice in the caretaker government in 2000. Following general elections in November 2000, she returned to 7 the office of the state prosecutor and continued her work there. The presidential election first round result has no bearing on the countries approach to the EU. Most of the parties in parliament support accession, as does most of the population. The presidential election could thus concentrate on the usual political issues in most countries: the economy, unemployment and the management of the country. It is not immediately clear why Dr Drnov1sek chose to campaign for the presidency, although he may have felt that two terms as prime minister were enough for him. The presidency, according to the Slovenian constitution, does not have many powers, although it carries the prestige of a head of state. It is assumed that the present Minister of Finance will succeed Dr Drnov1sek if and when he becomes president in December. A moot point is whether Dr Drnov1sek will be the one to take part in the Copenhagen summit, which will confirm Slovenias place in the enlarged EU. Slovenia now averages 71 per cent of the EUs average GNP, with an average $15,000 income, with unemployment low at 5.9 per cent, and inflation, which averaged 8.4 per cent in 2001 and which is expected to average 6.9 per cent this year. The two million Slovenes will vote in a referendum on EU accession, sometime after the signing of the Accession Treaty on 16 April 2003, in Athens. (AP) European Internet Ten Years of Phare in Slovenia Ten years have passed since Slovenia started receiving funds from the EU's pre-accession aid programme Phare. To mark the occasion, representatives of the Slovenian government and the European Commission discussed the meaning of the programme for Slovenia, which receives EUR 30 million of Phare funds a year on average at a celebration that took place in Friday, 8 November. The main speakers were Europe Minister Janez Potocnik and Erwan Fouere, head of the European Commission delegation in Ljubljana. "Ten years is an impressive, enviable period. And such are - I can say that with certainty - the achievements we have made in Slovenia with the help of the Phare programme in this period," Europe Minister Janez Potocnik said at the conference to mark ten years since Slovenia first started receiving the Phare pre-accession aid. Since 1992 Slovenia received more than EUR 300 million of funds from the EU through Phare, which co-financed more than 100 projects. The Phare programme was established in countries of the former divided Europe programme was a concrete expression of members, said Ambassador Erwan Fouere, Commission delegation to Slovenia. 1989. In the time when the most needed help, the Phare solidarity of the EU and its the head of the European The Phare programme in Slovenia first co-financed projects to help restructure the economy, agriculture, public finance, banking, environment, energy, and support investments in education, science and technology. 8 Gradually, the aid grew into support of the implementation of the preaccession strategy, chiefly the adoption of EU-compatible legislation and introduction of reforms to increase the competitiveness of economy in an open market system. Phare funds also finance various projects of cross-border co-operation of Slovenia with Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenia on average received some EUR 33.6 million of financial aid yearly and is among the most successful candidates in using the Phare funds. It has used up all funds earmarked in the yearly financing memoranda and its absorption capacity is over 90 percent. In 2000, two other aid programmes were introduced, namely ISPA for investments in the environment and transport infrastructure, and SAPARD for agriculture. So far, Slovenia has, according to Minister Potocnik, received around EUR 426.7 million of aid from all three programmes. In a few years the Phare programme will cease as its purpose will have been achieved, Potocnik explained. The results of the abundant aid that Slovenia has used to implement a number of projects can be seen throughout the country. "Ahead of the upcoming conclusion of accession talks and not far from the day when we will - I am confident about that - become a member of the EU, the results give us a fare share of optimism and selfconfidence," the minister said in his speech at the occasion. After Slovenia enters the EU, the Phare programme will be substituted by structural funds, namely the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund. Cross-border co-operation, on the other hand, is financed by the Interreg programme within the EU. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9