In the first round held three weeks ago, former Prime Minister Borut Pahor captured most of the votes, or 39.93 per cent, followed by the incumbent Danilo Tuerk at 35.9 per cent. The centre-right candidate Milan Zver dropped out of the race after receiving 24 per cent of the ballots.

The last week of campaigning by Pahor and Tuerk was overshadowed to some extent by protest rallies in several towns across the country against the ruling political and economic elites. The two candidates had different views on the protests as well as on the government and its responsibility for the economic crisis and the social situation in the country.

Pahor, who portrays himself as a centrist, called for patience and for negotiations between the government and the opposition in order to overcome the crisis, warning of a political and social crisis that could develop next year unless a political consensus on reforms was reached.

Tuerk, a professor of international law and former ambassador to the United Nations, said that the protest rallies were proof that the government's policy of austerity failed to encourage economic recovery as the crisis had deepened.

Opinion polls conducted in the last week of campaigning gave Pahor a slight lead, and Slovenian analysts believe that the outcome will depend on the voter turnout. The turnout in the first round was only 47 per cent, the lowest since the country became independent in the early 1990s.

Polling stations close at 7PM when Slovenian Television is to release the results of exit polls. Preliminary results will be announced a few hours later.