Slovakia Elects New President

The politician won with a tangible margin.

The second round of the presidential election in Slovakia has come to an end. 96.1% of the vote was counted and Peter Pellegrini, an ally of the current Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, won according to the results.

He won 54.3% of the vote, and his opponent, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia Ivan Korčok – 45.7%. The latter has already admitted his defeat and congratulated Pellegrini on his victory.

Korčok said that he was disappointed and upset, but respects the result of the will of citizens. He hopes that Peter Pellegrini, as president, will abide by the constitution.

“These elections in Slovakia will not only decide who will become the president of the republic for the next five years, but will also render a verdict on the policies of Robert Fico and his government over the past six months. If Ivan Korčok wins, it is expected that the current pro-Russian policy will be balanced. But if Peter Pellegrini gets the post, it is unlikely to happen," said Euronews correspondent Attila Magyar from Bratislava.

In the end, it was the second option that became a reality.

Who is Peter Pellegrini

Pellegrini is the leader of the Voice – Social Democracy political party, which is part of the coalition government of Fico, and the head of the Slovak parliament.

Like the Slovak Prime Minister, he opposes assistance to Ukraine in its repulsing Russian aggression. He also stated that he does not support Ukraine's accession to NATO. Previously, Pellegrini called himself a "candidate for peace" and promised not to let "drag Slovakia into the war."

"Slovakia should not be just a passive recipient of what Washington and Brussels dictate," the politician said.

We add that his opponent Korčok, who has pro-Western views and is a supporter of the EU and NATO, promised to resist the attempts of the government of Robert Fico to build a nationalist anti-Western foreign policy in Slovakia.