By: Andrej Žitnik / Nova24tv
Anže Logar has now officially announced his candidacy for the position of President of the Republic. At the press conference, which was held under the linden tree of independence in front of the National Assembly, he announced that, if elected, he would act in a unifying manner. “If they decide for me, Slovenians will get a very hard-working man; I will use every atom of my energy to ensure we will work with each other and not against each other. My work so far proves that I can achieve what I set out to do.”
The presidential candidate convened the press conference under a linden tree, planted at the time when Slovenia gained its independence. This symbolic location was not chosen by chance: “The independence linden tree is growing a bit slower than it could have. This is a symbolic message that I want to pass on. It is a tree that unites us all, and I want it to unite us in the future as well,” said the former Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The President of the Republic will have to unite
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs initially pointed out that at a time when Slovenia is, unfortunately, internally very divided, and the events outside our borders are very turbulent (war in Ukraine, the rising prices of food), the cooperation of political subjects is necessary – that is why cooperation was also his central message. “These times demand the meaningful cooperation of all political entities, the civil society, the experts and the business sector. In this situation, I consider the role of the President of the Republic to be the most important political role because he or she can unite all these different views and bring the necessary unity to the Slovenian space.” As the candidate also explained, the President of the Republic has a special legitimacy and mandate for unification since he is the only one elected by a majority.
He will be better at this than the rest of the candidates
When asked by a journalist what makes him better than other candidates, Logar said that he has proven in the past that he knows how to cooperate, and it is this ability of his that will be of decisive importance in the given conditions. “With my past work, I have proven that I know how to cooperate, that I am open to different points of view, that I always try to find consensus,” he said. He also said that he is extremely suitable for the office of the country’s President, which to a large extent includes activities on the international stage, because he is in a position where, as a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, he can contribute very actively and qualitatively to the placement of Slovenia in the international arena.
The campaign will be made for the people
Logar has announced a campaign that will be made for the people. As we have already reported on our web portal, he intends to conquer all 30 Slovenian peaks, which he will conquer with his supporters, and he also plans to visit the voters in their hometowns, where he will be able to listen first-hand to what they expect from the future President of the Republic and what troubles them. “I am looking forward to the campaign. I like to be with people, I like to talk to them,” he explained.
The collecting of signatures begins in the second half of August
He also plans to launch his campaign in this manner. He will submit his candidacy with the signatures of citizens, and the first signatory on the list of supporters of his candidacy will be the former Member of the European Parliament, Romana Jordan. Logar’s party, the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), has also promised to support him, but this will have to be confirmed by the party council as well. When asked by a journalist why he decided to collect the citizens’ signatures for his candidacy, Logar replied that he wanted to see what kind of support he has among the electorate. He thanked in advance everyone who will contribute their signature or help him during his campaign in any way.
This story is black and white
At the press conference, he also announced his first political decision, which is of a strategic nature. He said that Slovenian must maintain its position in regard to the war in Ukraine because this story is black and white. “It needs to be said that Slovenia must remain on the right side of history from the beginning to the end of the war in Ukraine…”
His opinion of the other candidates
For now, Logar did not want to share his opinion of the other candidates who will run against him in the upcoming presidential elections, but he did touch on the work of the outgoing President of the Republic. He believes that Pahor took an important step forward when it comes to the idea of uniting Slovenians. “This is a good guide for the future, and I would even intensify this dialogue,” he announced.