2024-03-24 00:56:16
The victory in the first round of the Slovakian presidential election goes surprisingly clearly to the liberal career diplomat and former foreign minister of Slovakia, Ivan Korčok. After more than 99.9 percent of the votes were counted, Korčok was unexpectedly well ahead of the government candidate from the left-wing party Hlas (Voice) with 42.5 percent. Parliament President Peter Pellegrini only got around 37 percent. The runoff election will take place on April 6th.
In concrete terms, Korčok was able to beat Pellegrini by over 120,000 votes. The Social Democrat therefore did not live up to his role as favorite. Shortly before the vote, a majority of voter polls had seen Pellegrini as the winner of the first round of voting. The remaining nine candidates also fell well short of expectations.
Third place, the right-wing nationalist ex-chairman of the Slovak Supreme Court, Štefan Harabin, ultimately received less than 12 percent of the vote. The remaining candidates didn’t even reach three percent. Voter turnout was over 51 percent, well above estimates.
Pellegrini was somewhat hesitant to accept his defeat on election night. “I congratulate Ivan Korčcok, we both made it to the second round,” he said at his election headquarters. He expects “a tough duel” before the runoff election, but wants to maintain his previous decency. “We came in second place, but it has become clear that Slovakia does not want a liberal-right-progressive president, but a president who will not drag Slovakia into war and for whom Slovak interests will come first ,” he said, alluding to the fairly high number of votes for the right-wing nationalist Harabin and the position of Korčok, who is a clear supporter of Ukraine.
The mood at Korčok’s campaign headquarters was enthusiastic. Hardly anyone, including Kročok himself, expected a difference of over five percent of the votes: “I don’t know – it looks like I won the first round!” he explained with emotion.
The result of the first round looks hopeful and encouraging, said the ex-diplomat. “We have taken a big step, but the road ahead begins again now,” he said. He therefore has both feet firmly on the ground. “In the second round we have to do more to win,” he emphasized. He wants to continue to appeal primarily to young voters who do not agree with the course that Slovakia is currently taking. “They do not agree with vulgarity and lack of culture, nor with where the current government is taking Slovakia in foreign policy,” said Korčok.
The allusion was aimed at the government coalition of the old-new head of government Robert Fico, who has been trying to change the country according to his ideas since taking office for the fourth time in the fall of last year. Fico’s coalition also includes Pellegrini’s Hlas party. The presidential election was therefore seen as a duel between Fico’s Russia-friendly government camp and the pro-Western and liberal opposition, which supports the independent Korčok. However, a final decision will only be made in the second round of voting.
According to observers, the outcome of the first round could be an additional mobilization factor, especially for liberal voters who were convinced that the election winner had long been clear. A tougher election campaign can also be expected before the runoff election. In the next two weeks before the final, both Pellegrini and Korčok will try to win over voters from the unsuccessful candidates. Both are likely to be aimed primarily at the supporters of third-placed Harabin. Pellegrini has a better chance of achieving this, as he is likely to be more acceptable to Harabin’s more radical voters than the liberal-progressive Korčok. Some experts had already warned in advance that Korčok might have already reached its electoral potential. Pellegrini also has another advantage: As the current President of Parliament, he is almost ubiquitously present in the media.
In Slovakia, the president has predominantly representative tasks. The new head of state for the next five-year term will also indirectly influence the future foreign policy direction of the EU and NATO country.
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