Dr Boštjan M. Turk on Pirc Musar’s mishap: “If her office got entangled in such a series of falsehoods, contradictions, and outright lies in just that one hour on Friday, 31 July, then what all do we not know about the other hours, days, weeks, and years of her presidential term?”

By: G. B.

More than a week has passed since the traffic accident involving the presidential official vehicle of Nataša Pirc Musar, and during this time we have witnessed numerous evasions and misrepresentations from the Office of the President of the Republic.

Because the incident has political consequences due to its particular circumstances, we asked political analysts for comment. Prof. Dr Boštjan M. Turk, author of numerous books and an experienced commentator, shared his view with our portal.

Prof. Dr Turk described the situation by saying that the affair involving Nataša Pirc Musar and the accident in the Kastelec tunnel reveals that in just one hour of her presidential term, the president became entangled in an incredible cocoon of falsehoods, from which seven core issues can be identified as problematic:

1. “The transport was carried out in accordance with the applicable legislation.”
   • The Office of the President initially claimed that the transport from Croatia to her official engagement in Komenda was lawful.
   • Pirc Musar later admitted she was not wearing a seatbelt, contradicting the claim that the transport complied with regulations.

2. The claim or portrayal that the president was wearing a seatbelt.
   • Media reports initially suggested she had been strapped in.
   • Her later admission that she was not raises questions, especially why she was not.

3. “She departed on time.”
   • The president’s office stated she left with sufficient travel time and an additional 20‑minute buffer.
   • Official information shows she had to be in Komenda at 18:30.

4. The timeline of the Koper–Komenda route.
   • On 31 July around 15:15, the Koper–Ljubljana route was estimated at 2 hours 10 minutes due to congestion, but actually took around 2 hours 30 minutes.
   • Add roughly 30 minutes from Ljubljana to Komenda.
   • If this reconstruction is correct, the convoy should have departed significantly earlier to arrive by 18:30. The president’s office insists everything was fine.

5. The claim that the accident resulted from a normal traffic situation and not time pressure.
   • The timeline suggests the opposite: departure may have been too late, requiring time to be made up.

6. The explanation regarding injury and rest.
   • Pirc Musar stated she would need at least 14 days of rest due to a broken collarbone and cancelled her attendance at the Sinjska Alka event.
   • Yet three days after the accident she was seen walking and shopping at Planet Koper.
   • The president’s office confirmed she was there, explaining she was not on medical leave but on vacation.

7. Transporting private friends in vehicles of the President’s Office.
   • And finally: something Pirc Musar also concealed or omitted, the use of an official van to transport private friends, including Viktoria Krivolutskaya, to the Melodies of the Sea and Sun festival, which is clearly questionable.

“Now we must ask a very simple question: if Pirc Musar or her office became entangled in such a series of falsehoods, contradictions, and outright lies in just one hour, that is on 31 July 2026 between 16:00 and 17:00, when the accident occurred, then what all do we not know about the other hours, days, weeks, and years of her presidential term? That would be a question for a broader investigation,” wrote Dr Boštjan M. Turk.