(ANSA) - LUBIANA, NOV 19 - Low turnout, victory in the first round for ninety independent candidates and important changes in some big cities, apart from Ljubljana: these are the main elements of the administrative elections held yesterday in Slovenia. Half of the more than two hundred Municipalities that went to the vote will have to wait for the 2nd December run-off.

Just under 46% of those entitled to vote went to the polls, a decrease of two percentage points compared to the record drop in the last local elections. This decreasing turnout is also reflected in the success of ninety independent candidates, elected in the first round without any party affiliation. The mayors belonging to major parties are only thirteen, none of them in large cities. The mayor of the capital city Ljubljana, Zoran Jankovic, obtained his fourth term in a row with 62% of the preferences. Maribor, the second biggest city in the country, as expected, will have to wait for the second round of voting to have a new mayor, but the surprise is that the current mayor is out of the run-off, whereas the challenge will involve a candidate with no previous experience in politics, Saa Arsenovi (38%), and former mayor Franc Kangler (31%), who had been forced to resign in 2011 after some scandals. In Koper, on the other hand, Boris Popovic (31.6%), who in the past few days had declared himself convinced he was going to win the first round, will be forced to defeat Ale Bran (24.5%). Among the major cities where the run-off will be held are Nova Gorica, Ptuj, Kranj and Slovenj Gradec, whereas the mayors of Celje, Novo Mesto and Velenje were confirmed in the first round. (ANSA).