Political parties probably won’t nominate presidential candidates before summer holidays

Imitating reality shows may alienate those who take politics seriously

Borut Pahor will bid for re-election in presidential elections this autumn. Photo: BoBo

We’re a few months from presidential elections but so far it does not seem that parliamentary parties are planning to present their candidates, who would challenge the current president Borut Pahor in elections, before the summer holidays. Instead, there have been several announcements by candidates who come from the entertainment industry rather than politics.

Professor Tomaž Deželan from the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana is not surprised by how politics is being perceived at the moment. Since we live in times of simplification, a simplified perception of politics is nothing tragic. The Slovenian nation apparently prefers show to seriousness, argues Deželan, judging by the fact that Danilo Türk’s attempt to be re-elected failed, with Borut Pahor being elected instead.

While the candidates who are unlikely to be able to collect the required 5,000 votes to run for election are chasing their five minutes of glory, political parties know that the chances of potential serious competitors are slim, argues Alem Maksuti from the Institute for Political Management, adding that their silence means the parties are calculating. “This pat position in the result of the fact that re-election of Pahor as president suit most parties,” adds Maksuti.

Autumn may bring a campaign unlike any other so far, but imitating reality shows may alienate those who take politics seriously, believes Maksuti. Both commentators see presidential elections as some sort of prelude to the main political episode, i.e. the parliamentary elections next year.

Tomaž Celestina, Radio Slovenija; translated by K. Z.