THE POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC

Ljubljana, 1 January 1999

The President of the Republic represents the Republic of Slovenia and is the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces of Slovenia. The President of the Republic is elected by direct, general election conducted by secret ballot, for a term of five years, and may be elected for a maximum of two consecutive terms.

THE POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC
The institution of the president of the republic is built into the parliamentary system.

The President of the Republic:
• has the power to call elections for the National Assembly and its first session, and he may demand an extraordinary session of the National Assembly to be called;
• may dissolve the National Assembly and call new elections;
• issues decrees on the proclamation of a state of emergency or a state of war, on the adoption and lifting of emergency measures and on the deployment of the Defence Forces when the National Assembly is unable to convene, his decree being transmitted to the National Assembly for ratification as soon as the National Assembly reconvenes;
• proposes to the National Assembly a candidate for the office of Prime Minister;
• proclaims statutes;
• appoints State officers and functionaries in accordance with statute, e.g. in the area of the defence;
• accredits and revokes the accreditation of Slovenian ambassadors to foreign states, and accepts the credentials of foreign diplomatic representatives;
• issues instruments of ratification; he may propose to the Constitutional Court that it provides an opinion as to the conformity with the Constitution of a treaty undergoing the ratification procedure;
• grants pardons, confers decorations and honorary titles;
• proposes to the National Assembly the election of judges of the Constitutional Court, five members of the Judicial Council, the Ombudsman and members of the Council of the Bank of Slovenia.
• must provide his opinion on a specific matter if so required by the National Assembly, or on his own initiative.

If the President of the Republic in the discharge of his office, commits a serious breach of the law or the Constitution, he may be brought before the Constitutional Court upon the complaint of the National Assembly.