In a runoff election, the populist social democrat Pellegrini was elected as the new president of Slovakia. The 48-year-old is considered a supporter of Prime Minister Fico’s Russia-friendly course.
In the end, the result was clearer than the pollsters predicted: 53 percent of Slovaks voted for Peter Pellegrini. The politician achieved a lead of more than six percentage points over Ivan Korcok, the candidate from the liberal camp.
The 48-year-old Pellegrini was greeted with frenetic applause by his supporters on election night when he stepped up to the microphone. “I will be a president who will do everything to support the government in its efforts to improve the lives of the people of Slovakia,” the politician said after his victory.
Presidential resistance to judicial reform could now be crumbling
The fact that Pellegrini announced in his first sentence that he would support the government aroused fears among critics. The coalition of left-wing populists and nationalists has taken up the cause of a controversial judicial reform that, among other things, could make the prosecution of certain corruption offenses more difficult.
She also wants to convert public broadcasting into state television. The previous president, Zuzana Caputova, always criticized this. The designated successor promised on election night that this headwind would no longer exist in the future.
“The government can rely on this: if it implements its coalition program, which I myself worked on, then it does not have to fear that the presidential palace will become an opportunistic power center for the opposition, as it has in the past ten years, which will harm the government and itself happy about their failures,” emphasized Pellegrini.
opposition candidate Korcok was disappointed
The opposition in Slovakia consists of the liberal camp. In the presidential election, the liberal parties supported the former diplomat Ivan Korcok. He expressed visibly disappointment after the election. “We must not underestimate that today was a game for Slovakia’s place in the world,” said Korcok.
“What we took for granted, what we took for granted – that is now being speculated about,” said the former diplomat. Membership in the EU and NATO, the rule of law and democracy are important topics. “If we don’t remember this, everything will slip through our fingers.”
Pellegrini: National interests ahead international Commitments
The government took a Russia-friendly course last year and stopped arms deliveries to neighboring Ukraine. At the same time, Prime Minister Robert Fico openly criticizes the EU and NATO allies.
The future President Pellegrini also took up this issue in his first reaction. “I will be a president who will always respect our international roots, but will always protect and defend Slovakia’s national interests,” said the 48-year-old. He will take office as president in around two months and will be elected for the next five years.