Pro-Ukrainian candidate loses: Pellegrini, close to the government, wins presidential election in Slovakia

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Peter Pellegrini already held ministerial positions in previous governments under Prime Minister Robert Fico

Photo: Vaclav Salek / CTK Photo / IMAGO

The Social Democratic Parliament Speaker Peter Pellegrini has won the presidential election in Slovakia. After counting 99.8 percent of the electoral districts, he was clearly ahead of the liberal opposition candidate Ivan Korčok, who received just under 47 percent, with a good 53 percent of the votes. The electoral commission announced this on Sunday night. Originally, surveys and initial partial results had suggested a narrower result. The official final result should be available by Sunday afternoon at the latest.

Korčok admitted his defeat to journalists in Bratislava and congratulated Pellegrini on his victory. The TASR news agency quoted the liberal former foreign minister, whom the liberal and conservative opposition parties had also supported in mass protests against the government, as saying that he was "disappointed and disillusioned." Korčok criticized the election campaign as “not transparent”. "It has been proven that it is possible to become president of the Slovak Republic by spreading hate," said the losing candidate. "The election campaign can also be won by making me a candidate for war."

Prime Minister Robert Fico criticized Korčok as a "warmonger" in a video before the runoff election because of his stance on the Ukraine war. The Prime Minister, however, praised Pellegrini as a “moderate candidate who recognizes the value of peace.”

Pellegrini had already held ministerial positions in previous governments under Fico's leadership. In 2018, after Fico resigned following the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancé, Pellegrini replaced him as head of government and held the office until 2020.

Korčok advocated decisive support for Ukraine

During the election campaign, Pellegrini used the slogan “Slovakia needs calm” to campaign for overcoming the deep domestic political divide in the EU and NATO country, which borders Ukraine to the east. Korčok, on the other hand, promised to form a counterweight to the left-wing nationalist government under Prime Minister Robert Fico. Korčok advocates decisive military support for Ukraine, while Pellegrini urges caution when it comes to arms deliveries, also referring to the position of Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Similar to Germany, the head of state in Slovakia primarily has a representative role. But the president's word carries great weight in public. In the event of government crises, he can temporarily set up a government himself, as last happened around 2023.

svs/dpa/AFP