by Radovan Stoklasa and Jason Hovet
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) – Former Slovak Foreign Minister and pro-European Ivan Korcok won an unexpected victory in the first round of the presidential election on Saturday, beating Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Ivan Korcok hopes to follow in the footsteps of outgoing President Zuzana Caputova, who has notably criticized changes made by Robert Fico’s government to foreign policy and its attempts to modify criminal law in Slovakia.
Robert Fico, the leader of the Slovak left, was appointed prime minister last year for a four-year term, after pledging during the election campaign to end his country’s aid to Ukraine and having criticized the European Union’s sanctions against Russia.
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Ivan Korcok won 42.5% of the votes, after the counting of 99.9% of the ballots, thus ahead of former Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, credited with 37.1% of the votes. The two candidates will face each other in the second round of the election, scheduled for April 6.
“I certainly have to address the tens of thousands of voters in the ruling coalition who do not agree with the direction in which the government is pushing Slovakia,” Ivan Korcok told his supporters.
Former Supreme Court President Stefan Harabin came third with 11.75% of the vote after benefiting from the support of a nationalist party in the ruling coalition.
Peter Pellegrini, former member of Robert Fico’s party, SMER-Social Democracy, could benefit from the carryover of the votes of voters who voted for Stefan Harabin.
Peter Pellegrini, who now leads the Hlas (“Voice”) party in the ruling coalition, said the results of the first round showed that a majority of voters did not want a “liberal-progressive” president. right” which would be in conflict with the government.
“The majority of Slovakia has shown interest in a president who will defend national interests,” he said.
The Slovak president has mainly honorary powers, but he appoints members of the government and other institutions and can influence public debate.
(With the contribution of David W. Cerny and Eva Korinkova in Bratislava; French version Camille Raynaud)
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