Large victory for Peter Pellegrini, who won the Slovak presidential election on Saturday evening with 53.2% of the votes, according to almost final results. He thus beat Ivan Korkok, a pro-European diplomat, in the second round.
An economist by training, Peter Pellegrini, 48, is a long-time ally of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico. At the head of his social-democratic party, the Hlas-SD, he also participates in the government coalition, in which we also find the far-right party SNS.
Prime Minister after the Kuciak scandal
Coming from a family of Italian origin, he became a deputy in 2006 then entered the government in 2012, first as Secretary of State to the Minister of Finance then as Minister of Education, Sciences, Research and sports. He was then appointed head of the Slovak National Council, equivalent to the National Assembly, from 2014 to 2016.
He then returned as a minister in the government of Robert Fico. He even replaced him as Prime Minister after the fall of his government in 2018, following the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée, shot dead in their home. The double murder sparked a wave of protests across the country that forced Robert Fico to resign. In his last article, published posthumously, Jan Kuciak revealed links between the Italian mafia and the Fico government.
Single and against continued aid to Ukraine
“I want to be a president who will defend the national interests of Slovakia,” underlined Peter Pellegrini after the announcement of his victory. He assured that he wanted to do everything “so that Slovakia remains on the side of peace and not on the side of war”. The war in Ukraine played a considerable role in the Slovak campaign, between a government that stopped aid and called into question the sovereignty of kyiv and a pro-Europe candidate.
With the victory of Peter Pellegrini, “Slovakia could follow the ‘Orban path'”, estimates analyst Tomas Koziaka, referring to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, close to the Kremlin. “It turns out that it is possible to become president of the Slovak Republic by spreading hatred,” denounced Ivan Korkok. The latter criticizes Peter Pellegrini and his camp for having presented him during the campaign as a “war candidate”, favorable to Slovakia’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
Peter Pellegrini will replace liberal President Zuzana Caputova on June 15. Although his powers are limited, the president ratifies international treaties, appoints key judges, and is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He can also veto laws passed by Parliament.
This bachelor was dubbed “the sexiest politician in Slovakia” by women’s magazines some time ago. When announcing his candidacy, he said he lived alone, adding: “If I am elected president, I will not be accompanied by a first lady or anyone.”