Ivan Korcok, former foreign minister, and Peter Pellegrini, 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, partial results show.
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According to a 90% vote count, Ivan Korcok received 40.3% of the vote, compared to 38.4% for Peter Pellegrini, according to the Slovak Statistical Office. The second round of the presidential vote in Slovakia will take place on April 6. Analysts had expected the result, with Peter Pellegrini, 48, and Ivan Korcok, 59, leading opinion polls ahead of the vote, marked by deep divisions over the war in neighboring Ukraine.
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.
“ I expected a close result “, Peter Pellegrini told reporters as the results began to come in. After voting this Saturday, he insisted that Slovakia would remain anchored in the European Union and NATO after the election, despite Prime Minister Fico’s remarks.
Ivan Korcok, who will likely face strong opposition from the prime minister’s team if elected, said he wanted address all voters » during the second round scheduled for April 6. “ I will have to speak more to the voters of the government coalition, because it is obvious that not everyone is satisfied with the government representatives “, he said. “ Peter Pellegrini declared himself the guarantor of foreign policy and today he is the assistant of the fact that the Slovak Republic has completely lost its compass in matters of foreign policy “, he added.
Division over the war in Ukraine
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 head 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, Peter Pellegrini, 48, demanded “ an immediate ceasefire and the opening of peace negotiations » between kyiv and Moscow. A position denounced by Ivan Korcok, 59 years old.
Robert Fico’s cabinet was recently criticized for adopted a controversial reform of the penal code, which notably provides for reduced penalties for corruption and economic crimes. Although he is running as an independent, Ivan Korcok is supported by opposition parties who believe a victory for Peter Pellegrini would pave the way for presidential pardons for government allies convicted of corruption.
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