Natasa Pirc Musar elected first female president of Slovenia

Slovenia, a country in Central Europe, has elected Natasa Pirc Musar as its first-ever female head of state.

Natasa Pirc Musar is a journalist and lawyer who ran as an independent with the backing of Slovenia’s center-left government. She defeated former foreign minister Anze Logar – a veteran of conservative politics.

Ms Pirc Musar won almost 54% of the vote, ahead of Mr Logar who got just over 46%, the election commission said.

“Slovenia has elected a president who believes in the European Union, in the democratic values on which the EU was founded,” Ms Pirc Musar said after her victory.

She is best known for her rulings and books on freedom of information, legal opinion, and high-profile legal cases, in which she represented Slovenia-born Melania Trump, the Social Democrats political party of Slovenia, and other notable clients.

The role of president in the country is mostly ceremonial, but Ms Pirc Musar will be commander in chief of the armed forces and also gets to nominate several top officials, including the central bank governor.

In 2016, Ms Pirc Musar and Melania filed a lawsuit against Suzy magazine in Slovenia for suggesting Mrs Trump had worked as a high-end escort while pursuing her international modelling career. An out-of-court settlement was reached.

Natasa Pirc Musar’s election as Slovenia’s first female president comes at a time when countries across the globe are making strides to advance gender equity in political representation.