BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — A pro-western career diplomat defeated a close ally of Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico in the first round of the presidential election Sunday to set up a runoff between the two to decide who will succeed Zuzana Čaputová, the country’s first female president.
Former Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok had 42.13% of the votes late Sunday, with nearly all polling stations counted by Slovakia’s Statistics Office. Peter Pellegrini was in second with 37.28%
Because no candidate won an outright majority, a runoff will be held April 6 in this central European nation of 5.4 million people.
A former justice minister and judge, Štefan Harabin, 66, who has openly sided with Russia in its war with Ukraine was a distant third with 11.79%.
In all, nine male candidates sought to become Slovakia’s sixth head of state since it gained independence in 1993 after Czechoslovakia split in two.
Čaputová, a staunch backer of neighboring Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, didn’t seek a second term in the largely ceremonial post.
Korčok called the result “encouraging” and “promising,” but added that “we have to do more to win the runoff.”
Feels like there might yet be hope for the country, but the battle is far from won. Cautiously optimistic,though even if we get a good president we are still in deep shit - just not as deep as it goes.