Compared to counterparts in similar European parliamentary democracies, the president of Slovenia has limited powers despite being the only directly elected senior official. Nevertheless, the office carries a strong symbolic role.
The Constitution gives the president, who is also the supreme commander of the Slovenian Armed Forces, the power to represent the country abroad, call general elections, promulgate laws, appoint state officials, appoint and recall ambassadors, issue deeds of ratification, grant clemency and confer state decorations. The president also appoints the prime minister and members of the Judicial Council, and nominates Constitutional Court judges.
But sectoral laws expand the nomination powers, with the president in charge of nominating the central bank governor, members of the central bank's governing board, the Human Rights Ombudsman, the Court of Audit president, the Information Commissioner and Slovenian judges on international courts. Additionally, the president directly appoints the president and deputy presidents of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption.
A president may only be impeached by the Constitutional Court in the event of grave violations of the Constitution or the law. The impeachment procedure has been triggered only once, against Danilo Türk, but the motion did not muster sufficient support in parliament to proceed.