Milan Kučan

president of Slovenia

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July 16, 2026

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Milan Kučan was the first democratically elected president of independent Slovenia, serving from 1992 to 2002. He was a former communist official who was elected president in May 1990 as Slovenia moved towards independence from Yugoslavia. Under his leadership, Slovenia held a referendum in December 1990 that supported sovereignty, and the country seceded from Yugoslavia on June 25, 1991. Slovenia adopted a democratic constitution in December 1991 and subsequently reoriented its politics and economy towards Western Europe. Kučan was reelected in 1997, and during his presidency, Slovenia joined both NATO and the European Union in 2004.12

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Slovenia
The communist era
…free, multiparty elections in which Milan Kučan, a former communist official, was elected president, and in December a referendum calling for a sovereign, independent Slovenia was endorsed by more than 90 percent of the voters. The Belgrade government—by then dominated by Serbia’s nationalist strongman, Slobodan Milošević, and by the Serb-led…
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…free, multiparty elections in which Milan Kučan, a former communist official, was elected president, and in December a referendum calling for a sovereign, independent Slovenia was endorsed by more than 90 percent of the voters. The Belgrade government—by then dominated by Serbia’s nationalist strongman, Slobodan Milošević, and by the Serb-led…
Read More