presidential election | SLEEPING WITH PENGOVSKY

Nataša Pirc Musar, Commander In Chief

Nataša Pirc Musar was elected the first female president of Slovenia on Sunday. The end result was very much in line with polling predictions. The president-elect won just shy of 54 percent of the vote while Anže Logar, got 46 percent, the largest percentage for any SDS president candidate ever. Thus, another glass ceiling had been broken in Muddy Hollows, the third one in less than six months.

President-elect Nataša Pirc Musar at a lectern during a press conference with the outgoing president Borut Pahor. — *President-elect Nataša Pirc Musar during a welcome-tour at her future office (source)*

Nearly a decade had passed since Alenka Bratušek and her brief-but-crucial stint as first female PM of Muddy Hollows. It took the country until late spring this year to see Urška Klakočar Zupančič become first female Speaker. Weeks later, Tanja Fajon was appointed the first female foreign minister. And now, NPM won the race for the top job. Women have finally arrived.

Madam President?

What felt like an unnecessarily long campaign to elect the next president of Muddy Hollows finally ends today. Having gone through a metric fuckton of TV, radio and newspaper debates, Nataša Pirc Musar seems to hold a slight edge over Anže Logar.

Nataša Pirc Musar and Anže Logar during one of the last campaign debates. One of them will be elected president on Sunday. — *Nataša Pirc Musar and Anže Logar, right (source)*

However, depending on which pollster you look at, her lead is either stable or melting fast. So, it could well happen that Slovenia will get its first female president. But to use an old campaign truism, turnout will be the key.

Pirc Musar Holds Off Brglez, Is Now Up Against Logar

Anže Logar and Nataša Pirc Musar advanced to the second round of the Muddy Hollows presidential election. The SDS-backed candidate came out on top with about 34 percent of the vote in yesterday’s first round of voting. But it was the race for second place everyone was watching. Milan Brglez was within theoretical striking distance of Nataša Pirc Musar right up until the last days of the campaign.

Anže Logar and Nataša Pirc Musar, shaking hands after Round One of the Slovenian presidential election. They will face off in Round Two. — *Anže Logar and Nataša Pirc Musar will face off in Round Two (source: STA YouTube)*

In the end, however, it wasn’t even close. Pirc Musar won 27 percent while Brglez got just north of 15 percent. It was a short post-campaign party for the SD and Gibanje Svoboda candidate. What follows now is a Slovenian version of political kabuki theatre where everyone expects and works toward a foregone conclusion but where things can still go horribly wrong.

It’s Not The Crime, It’s The Cover-Up

Right of the bat, pengovsky should note that there was no actual crime. Additionally, “cover-up” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. But with three, nay, two days before the end of the campaign, the three leading candidates (and certain other also-rans) continue to be their own worst enemies.

The debate on RTVSLO where leading candidates made it look like they were involved in a cover-up of their past deeds, even though they weren't. For the most part at least. — *Presidential debate on RTVSLO (source)*

Nataša Pirc Musar, Milan Brglez and Anže Logar have made an utter shitshow of explaining away the, shall we say, less-likeable parts of their respective political backgrounds. Be it personal wealth, leveraging access or simple party affiliation, they couldn’t come up with a line that would blunt these questions and force the media to move on. And then there is Miha Kordiš. Oh, boy…