Borut Pahor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Borut Pahor
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Pahor in 2022
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| 4th President of Slovenia | |
| In office 22 December 2012 – 22 December 2022 |
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| Prime Minister | Janez Janša Alenka Bratušek Miro Cerar Marjan Šarec Janez Janša Robert Golob |
| Preceded by | Danilo Türk |
| Succeeded by | Nataša Pirc Musar |
| Prime Minister of Slovenia | |
| In office 21 November 2008 – 10 February 2012 |
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| President | Danilo Türk |
| Preceded by | Janez Janša |
| Succeeded by | Janez Janša |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 20 July 2004 – 14 October 2008 |
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| Constituency | Slovenia |
| Speaker of the National Assembly | |
| In office 10 November 2000 – 12 July 2004 |
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| Preceded by | Janez Podobnik |
| Succeeded by | Feri Horvat |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 November 1963 Postojna, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Political party | SKJ (before 1990) SD (1990–2012) Independent (since 2012) |
| Domestic partner | Tanja Pečar |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Ljubljana |
| Signature |  |
Borut Pahor (born 2 November 1963) is a Slovenian politician. He served as the President of Slovenia from 2012 to 2022. Before that, he was the Prime Minister of Slovenia from 2008 to 2012.
Pahor was a long-time member and leader of the Social Democrats political party. He was a member of the National Assembly (Slovenia's parliament) for many years. He also served as its speaker from 2000 to 2004. In 2004, he became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).
After his party won the 2008 Slovenian parliamentary election, Pahor became prime minister. In 2011, his government faced economic problems and lost a vote of confidence. He continued as prime minister until February 2012. In June 2012, he decided to run for president. He won the 2012 Slovenian presidential election against the current president, Danilo Türk. In 2017, Pahor was re-elected for a second term.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Borut Pahor was born in Postojna, which was then part of Yugoslavia. He grew up in Nova Gorica and later moved to Šempeter pri Gorici. His father passed away when Borut was young. His mother, Iva Pahor Martelanc, raised him by herself. She was a seamstress and a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp.
After finishing high school in 1983, Pahor went to the University of Ljubljana. He studied public policy and political science. In 1987, he wrote a thesis about peace talks between countries that were not allied with major powers. This work earned him the Student Prešeren Award, which is a top award for students in Slovenia.
Political Career
Early Steps in Politics
Pahor started getting involved in politics when he was in high school. At 15, he led the student section of the Socialist Youth in Nova Gorica. This group was connected to the Communist Party. During his university years, Pahor joined the ruling Communist Party.
In 1987, he ran for a leadership role in the University Youth Alliance. This election was important because it was one of the first democratic elections in Yugoslavia. Pahor's team lost to a more liberal group. This led to the Youth Alliance becoming more independent from the Communist Party.
Pahor continued his political journey within the main Communist Party. He became well-known in the late 1980s as a strong supporter of reforms. He believed the party should give up its full control over Slovenian politics. This would allow for more political parties and ideas.
In 1989, Pahor helped create the Democratic Forum, a youth group within the Communist Party. He became the youngest member of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Slovenia. In 1990, he was part of the Slovenian group at the last meeting of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia.
Entering Parliament in the 1990s
In April 1990, Slovenia held its first free elections. Pahor was elected to the Slovenian Parliament. He was part of the League of Communists - Party of Democratic Reform. Pahor became a leader of the party's reform wing. This group wanted to move away from the communist past and embrace a free-market economy.
As his party lost support in the 1990s, Pahor's ideas became more popular. In 1997, he was elected as the party's president. He aimed for a middle-ground approach in politics. In 1997, he was considered for the Minister of Foreign Affairs role in a new left-wing government. However, this plan did not get enough support in parliament.
Becoming Speaker of Parliament
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In 2000, Pahor's party joined a government with the Liberal Democracy of Slovenia. Pahor was chosen as the speaker of the Slovenian National Assembly. This was a very important job. He was known for being fair and not taking sides too much. This earned him respect from other political groups.
As speaker, he supported a public event to remember Jože Pučnik, a person who had opposed communism and passed away. Some members of his own party were against this idea at first. Pahor also strongly supported Slovenia joining NATO, a military alliance. Some people on the left side of politics did not agree with this.
In June 2004, Pahor was elected to the European Parliament. He worked on committees dealing with budgets and the European Union's rules. In October 2004, his party lost the election in Slovenia. Pahor then worked to make the opposition party more constructive. In 2006, his party agreed to work with the ruling party on economic reforms. By 2007, the Social Democrats became the second-largest party in Slovenia. Pahor became the main leader of the left-wing opposition.
Prime Minister of Slovenia (2008–2012)
Borut Pahor served as Prime Minister of Slovenia from November 2008 to February 2012. His government included the Social Democrats and other parties.
During his time as prime minister, the world faced a big economic downturn. His government suggested new economic plans. However, these plans were not accepted by the opposition or by a public vote in 2011. Voters did approve an agreement with Croatia to help solve a border dispute between the two countries.
In 2011, some of the parties in his government left. The opposition also accused his government of not handling the economy well. Pahor asked the Parliament for a vote of confidence. On 20 September, the Parliament voted against him, and his government fell. Pahor said he had "full faith in our people and the future of Slovenia."
After this, the Parliament needed to choose a new prime minister. If they couldn't, early elections would be called. Most parties wanted early elections.
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In the elections on 4 December 2011, Pahor's party lost many seats. However, Pahor said he was happy with the results because they won more votes than expected.
In June 2012, Pahor tried to be re-elected as president of the Social Democrats party but lost by a small number of votes. Soon after, he announced he would run for President of Slovenia. His party and another centrist party supported his presidential campaign.
President of Slovenia (2012–2022)
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2012 Presidential Election
Pahor won the second round of the 2012 Slovenian presidential election with about two-thirds of the votes. The results showed he received 67.3% of the vote, while Danilo Türk received 32.6%.
After winning, Pahor said this was "only the beginning, the beginning of something new, a new hope, a new period." He emphasized the importance of trust, respect, and tolerance. He promised to work on solving the country's problems.
With this victory, Borut Pahor became the youngest President of Slovenia ever. He is also the only politician to have held all three top political jobs in Slovenia: speaker of the National Assembly, prime minister, and president.
As president, Pahor tried to be very active. He met with young people at events in the presidential offices. He also spoke at important events around the country. He met with Vladimir Putin and encouraged him to help resolve the conflict in Ukraine. He even suggested a meeting between Donald Trump and Putin in Ljubljana, as the city had hosted such a meeting before.
2017 Presidential Election
Pahor won his re-election in the 2017 Slovenian presidential election. He received about 53 percent of the votes, while his opponent, Marjan Šarec, received 47 percent. The number of people who voted was about 42 percent, which was the lowest for a presidential election since Slovenia became independent in 1991.
Awards and Decorations
Austria: Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (2022)
Bulgaria: Sash of the Order of the Balkan Mountains (2016)
Cyprus: Grand Collar of the Order of Makarios III (2019)
Czech Republic: Collar of the Order of the White Lion (2017)
Estonia: Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (2019)
Germany: Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2014)
Italy: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2014)
Latvia: Recipient of the Cross of Recognition First Class (2019)
Norway: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (2019)
Portugal: Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (2021)
South Korea: Recipient of the Grand Order of Mugunghwa (2021)
Ukraine: Member of the Order of Liberty (2016)- Ukraine: Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class (2021)
Personal Life
Borut Pahor lives with his partner, Tanja Pečar. They have one son named Luka. Besides his native Slovene, he can speak English, French, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian very well.
Images for kids
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Borut Pahor's signature
See also
In Spanish: Borut Pahor para niños
