Presidential candidates bury the hatchet with potica

Ljubljana, 15 December - Candidates who competed to become Slovenia's next president symbolically buried the hatched with a slice of the world-famous potica at the home of Angelca Likovič, one of the former hopefuls, on Friday.

Grosuplje
Foremer presidential candidate Angelca Liković invites her competitors for a slice of potica before the holidays.
Photo: Bor Slana/STA

Grosuplje
Foremer presidential candidate Angelca Liković invites her competitors for a slice of potica before the holidays.
Photo: Bor Slana/STA

Grosuplje
Foremer presidential candidate Angelca Liković invites her competitors for a slice of potica before the holidays.
Photo: Bor Slana/STA

Grosuplje
Foremer presidential candidate Angelca Liković invites her competitors for a slice of potica before the holidays.
Photo: Bor Slana/STA

Grosuplje
Foremer presidential candidate Angelca Liković invites her competitors for a slice of potica before the holidays.
Photo: Bor Slana/STA

Grosuplje
Foremer presidential candidate Angelca Liković invites her competitors for a slice of potica before the holidays.
Photo: Bor Slana/STA

Grosuplje
Foremer presidential candidate Angelca Liković invites her competitors for a slice of potica before the holidays.
Photo: Bor Slana/STA

Grosuplje
Foremer presidential candidate Angelca Liković invites her competitors for a slice of potica before the holidays.
Photo: Bor Slana/STA

Grosuplje
Foremer presidential candidate Angelca Liković invites her competitors for a slice of potica before the holidays.
Photo: Bor Slana/STA

Likovič, a pensioner known as the voice of the non-parliamentary conservative party Voice for Children and Families, had been all about potica in the campaign before the first round of the election in October.

She had been handing out leaflets with a recipe for the cake popularised by the Pope and US First Lady Melania Trump, and handed out platters of the traditional dessert at the media centre on election day.

Today, Likovič offered the candidates a medley of traditional desserts and beverages as she hosted a reception for President Borut Pahor, Kamnik Mayor Marjan Šarec, Romana Tomc of the opposition Democrats (SDS), Ljudmila Novak of New Slovenia (NSi) and Andrej Šiško, a former head of the Maribor football club ultras Viole.

According to the visitors, the candidates who were unable to respond to the invitation due to prior engagements missed "a very good potica".

During the soiree, Likovič wished her guests "the strength you'll need in the coming years, a lot of courage, decisiveness and harmony".

True to her views, she also urged them to make sure "Slovenian children will laugh and cry in the beautiful Slovenia in 20 years". "Work on that. Provide more help to children, families and young people so they get jobs and don't leave and can have kids here."

Novak was quick to respond that she had already contributed to the effort, having had three children and expecting a sixth grandchild soon.

The guests all welcomed Likovič's gesture and went home in a cheerful mood, possibly because of "a smidgen of alcohol," according to President Pahor, who revealed the secret ingredient in Likovič's potica.

nd/sm
© STA, 2017