Ivan Korčić, the former foreign minister, and Peter Pellegrini, the speaker of the Slovak parliament, will face each other in the second round of the presidential election after coming first in the first round on Saturday, according to partial results.
With 90% of the votes counted, Mr. Korcók received 40.3% of the vote, compared to 38.4% for Mr. Pellegrini, according to the Slovak Statistics Office. The second phase of voting will be held on April 6.
Analysts had expected the result, with Mr Pellegrini, 48, and Mr Korcuk, 59, leading opinion polls ahead of the vote, which was marked by deep divisions over the war in neighboring Ukraine.
Former Prime Minister Pellegrini is part of the pro-Russian ruling camp led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, which has questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Korkoc, a liberal backed by the opposition, is staunchly pro-Ukraine, as is outgoing President Zuzana Caputova, a critic of the government who chose not to seek a second term.
“I expected a close result,” Mr Pellegrini told reporters as the results began to come in.
After voting this Saturday, he insisted Slovakia would remain anchored in the European Union and NATO after the election, despite Mr Fico’s comments.
Mr Korcuk, who would face strong opposition from Mr Fico’s team if elected, said he wanted to “address all voters” in the April 6 runoff.
“I have to talk more with the voters of the government coalition, because it is clear that not everyone is satisfied with the representatives of the government,” he said.
“Peter Pellegrini declared himself the guarantor of foreign policy and today he is a supporter of the fact that the Slovak Republic has completely lost its compass in matters of foreign policy,” he added.
– Calm and discreet –
Although his office is mainly ceremonial, the Slovak president ratifies international treaties, appoints chief justices and is commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The leader of this country of 5.4 million inhabitants, a member of NATO and the European Union, can also veto laws adopted by parliament.
Casting his vote in Bratislava, Juraj Jankovic, a retiree, said Mr Pellegrini was “a calm and sensible prime minister and will be a good president”.
Graphic designer Zora Puskakova said that Korcók “will be a worthy representative of Slovakia abroad.”
“Pellegrini (…) will probably act as an ally of Mr Fico’s government”, analyst Pavol Babos told AFP.
The two men have long been political allies and Mr Fico has appointed Mr Pellegrini to various posts over the years, including speaker of parliament and education minister.
War in neighboring Ukraine divided Slovaks during the election campaign.
During the last debate before the vote, Mr Pellegrini, 48, called for an “immediate ceasefire and the start of peace talks” between Kiev and Moscow.
A position condemned by Mr Korcock, 59 years old.
“The Russian Federation has violated international law (…). I don’t think Ukraine should give up part of its territory to achieve peace,” he told AFP. “Peace cannot be synonymous with surrender,” he asserted.
According to Mr. Bobos, a liberal candidate “may be hostile to the governing coalition and (…) will try to correct the government’s anti-democratic tendencies.”
Fico’s cabinet was recently criticized for adopting a controversial reform of the Penal Code, which significantly provides for lower penalties for corruption and economic crimes. Although he is running as an independent, Korcuk is supported by opposition parties who believe Pellegrini’s victory will pave the way for a presidential pardon for government allies convicted of corruption.
Published at 12:10 am on March 24, AFP
