Politics, / By Sta

Ljubljana - Borut Pahor will be sworn in at a ceremony at the National Assembly on Friday, a day before he formally takes over for another five-year presidential term.

Pahor, 54, was re-elected on 12 November in a run-off defeating his challenger, Marjan Šarec, the mayor of Kamnik in a neck-and-neck race.

He secured 53% of the vote on a record low turnout of just 42%.

Today's inauguration ceremony will be held at the National Assembly at 6 PM during a special session, which will also mark the 26 December Independence and Unity Day.

The oath of office reads: "I swear that I shall uphold the constitutional order according to my conscience and that I shall do all in my power for the good of Slovenia."

After he takes the oath, which is written down in the Constitution, Pahor will deliver an inauguration address.

As part of inauguration events, he was to host his counterparts from Slovenia's all four neighbouring countries earlier this week, but the working lunch has been postponed to January.

Stressing the need for cooperation, compromise and reconciliation in his first term, Pahor has been topping the list of most popular politicians for the past five years.

But critics said that he was not determined enough and did not speak his mind on issues vital for the Slovenian society.

On the other hand, he frequently came under fire for his reckless statements and his activities on social media, which earned him the nickname the Instagram President.

After re-election, he said he would speak up more often in the next term, although preserving his conciliatory rhetoric.

Soon after the election, he called for changes to the health system and warned of excessively long court proceedings.