Government ministers in the UK have taken potshots at so-called lefty liberal lawyers in recent months, but in Slovenia they do things differently.

The southern European nation yesterday voted for Nataša Pirc Musar (pictured above) to become the president after two rounds. The role is mostly ceremonial but the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and Musar has pledged to be vocal about certain issues including human rights.

Pirc Musar, a partner with her own privacy law firm based in Ljubljana, stood as an independent but was backed by the centre-left and overcame right-wing veteran Anze Logar with 53.8% of the vote.

A former president of Slovenia’s Red Cross and a one-time lawyer for Slovenia-born Melania Trump, she has said she would like to connect the country with other nations that believe in human rights and constitutional values.

Announcing her intention to run in September, Pirc Musar promised not to be quiet during her presidency, adding: ‘After the last Janez Janša government took over I spoke out, because the rule of law was falling apart before our very eyes.’ Sounds like an activist lawyer to us.

Topics