Long-time Slovenian diplomat Danilo Turk has won the country's presidential election in a landslide.
Preliminary official results from Sunday's runoff vote give Turk 68 percent of the vote. His opponent, former Prime Minister Lojze Peterle, won 32 percent. Final results are expected next week.
Turk, Slovenia's former ambassador to the United Nations, is set to take office shortly before the country assumes the rotating presidency of the European Union in January.
The Slovenian presidency is mainly a ceremonial post, but the president's views influence defense and foreign policy.
Slovenia has thrived economically since declaring its independence from Yugoslavia in 1992.
Turk will replace President Janez Drnovsek, who is retiring from politics. Mr. Drnovsek led Slovenia to independence in 1991 and became president in 2002.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
