Ivan Korcok, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Peter Pellegrini, President 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 March 23, according to the almost complete results.
According to a count of 99.9% of the votes, Mr. Korcok obtained 42.44%, compared to 37.1% for Mr. Pellegrini, according to the Slovak Statistics Office. The second round of voting will take place on April 6.
Analysts were expecting a close result. Mr. Pellegrini, 48, and Mr. Korcok, 59, led opinion polls ahead of the vote, marked by deep divisions over the war in neighboring Ukraine.
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Former Prime Minister Pellegrini is part of the pro-Russia ruling camp, led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, which has questioned Ukraine's sovereignty.
The liberal Korcok, supported by the opposition, is resolutely pro-Ukraine, as is outgoing President Zuzana Caputova, a critic of the government who chose not to seek a second term.
“It’s a huge success for us,” Mr. Pellegrini told reporters. “The results showed that most Slovaks do not want a liberal, right-wing or progressive president,” he said. “Most expressed interest instead in a president who will defend Slovakia's national interests, who will not drag Slovakia into war but will talk about peace, for a president who will put Slovakia's interests first,” he added.
Mr Korcok, who will probably face strong opposition from Mr Fico's team if he is elected, for his part judged his result “promising, encouraging”. “But I have my feet on the ground,” he said, “I want to address voters who do not agree with the direction that this government is giving to Slovakia (…) including in matters of of foreign policy”. “I want to be a president who (…) will represent the country abroad and at home and who will make independent decisions, without taking orders,” he said.
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A mainly symbolic role
Although his office is primarily ceremonial, the Slovak president ratifies international treaties, appoints key judges, 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.
The 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 opening of peace negotiations” between kyiv and Moscow. A position denounced by Mr. Korcok, 59 years old. “The Russian Federation has trampled on international law (…) I do not think that Ukraine should give up part of its territory to achieve peace,” he told Agence France- Press. “Peace cannot be synonymous with capitulation,” he insisted.
Although he is running as an independent, Mr. Korcok is supported by opposition parties who believe that a victory for Pellegrini, close to Prime Minister Robert Fico, would pave the way for presidential pardons for the allies of the government found guilty of corruption.
Fico's cabinet was recently criticized for adopting a controversial reform of the penal code, which notably provides for reduced penalties for corruption and economic crimes.
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