Peter Pellegrini, the presidential candidate of Prime Minister Robert Fico's government, has won the elections in Slovakia. Pellegrini received almost 54 percent of the votes, defeating opposition candidate Ivan Korčok. With the victory, nationalist Fico consolidates his power in the Eastern European country.
The presidential elections seemed to be very exciting in advance; perhaps the difference would amount to a few hundred votes. The latest opinion polls showed no clear winner. And although the presidency is largely a ceremonial position, the elections did provide insight into the relationship between Slovaks who want to move further in Hungary's nationalist direction and who want to strengthen ties with the European Union and the West. Last year, Slovaks voted for the return of the nationalist pro-Russian Robert Fico.
Pellegrini will become Slovakia's sixth president and succeed Zuzana Čaputová, who announced in June last year that he would stand for re-election due to persistent death threats. Pellegrini's left-wing Hlas party is part of Fico's governing coalition, which has, among other things, stopped providing military aid to Ukraine.
Although the president's power in Slovakia is limited, his victory illustrates the nationalistic, conservative direction the country is taking. Within the European Union, diplomats fear that the country will continue its pro-Russian course and, like Hungary, will introduce anti-democratic reforms.
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