Slovenians headed to the polls on Sunday in a presidential vote that is being seen as a test for the small EU country's liberal government.
None of the seven candidates vying for president is expected to receive an absolute majority. That means a second round of voting featuring the top two contenders will likely be held in three weeks.
The new president will replace Borut Pahor, a former fashion model who has already served two five-year terms.
While the post is largely ceremonial, the president leads the army and is responsible for nominating several top officials, including the governor of the central bank.
Who are the candidates?
Opinion polls suggest right-wing candidate Anze Logar, who served as foreign minister under the former conservative government of Janez Jansa, will get around 30% of the vote, followed by centrist independent candidate Natasa Pirc Musar on 20%, and government-backed Social Democrat Milan Brglez on 17%.
During the campaign, 46-year-old Logar sought to shed his populist image and pledged to be a president for "bringing together" people from across the political spectrum.
Musar, 54, an influential lawyer and former chief of Slovenia's data protection authority, would be the country's first female president if elected. She campaigned on human rights issues and the rule of law.
Brglez, 55, is a member of the European Parliament who entered the race late in the campaign after the government's initial favorite withdrew.
Sunday's vote comes half a year after center-left Prime Minister Robert Golob and his environmentalist Freedom Movement party unseated Jansa in parliamentary elections.
Jansa, who served three terms as head of government, was accused by critics of seeking to curb media freedom and undermine the rule of law.
Around 1.7 million people are eligible to cast ballots in Slovenia, a member of both the EU and Nato.
Polling stations close at 1700 GMT, with the first results expected later on Sunday evening.
