LJUBLJANA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia will hold a presidential election on Nov. 11, Parliamentary Speaker Gregor Virant announced here on Wednesday.

The general election will be exceptionally important since it will give the elected person a high degree of political and moral authority, Virant said.

Slovenia held parliamentary elections last December which produced the incumbent cabinet headed by Prime Minister Janez Jansa.

Under the election procedures, presidential candidates will collect signatures and formally file their candidacies after Aug. 20.

The candidates may be put forward by 10 members of parliament, or an individual political party, or they may run with the support of the signatures of at least 5,000 voters.

If none of the candidates secures 50 percent of the vote in the first round, a run-off between the top two candidates will probably be held on Dec. 2.

The 60-year-old incumbent President Danilo Turk, elected on Dec. 23, 2007, said he would seek a second term. Former Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor will also run for the presidency as a strong competitor. Enditem

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