By Radovan Stoklasa and Jan Lopatka
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) -Slovak nationalist-left authorities candidate Peter Pellegrini gained the nation’s presidential election on Saturday, cementing the grip of pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico over the nation.
Fico, who took energy for the fourth time final October, has turned the nation’s international coverage to extra pro-Russian views and initiated reforms of felony legislation and the media, which have raised considerations over weakening the rule of legislation.
Pellegrini had 53.26% of the vote, versus 46.73% for pro-Western opposition candidate Ivan Korcok, outcomes from 99.66% of voting districts confirmed.
Slovak presidents do not need many govt powers, however can veto legal guidelines or problem them within the constitutional court docket. They nominate constitutional court docket judges, who might turn into essential in political strife over the destiny of Fico’s reforms, which might dramatically ease punishments for corruption.
Fico’s coalition that features a occasion headed by Pellegrini halted Slovak official shipments of weapons for Ukraine and Fico has spoken about what he known as western affect within the warfare which solely led to Slavic nations killing one another.
Pellegrini, 48, mentioned his victory meant the federal government would have help in its goals, and never face an “opposition, opportunistic energy centre” in reference to outgoing liberal president Zuzana Caputova.
“I will likely be a president who will help the federal government in its efforts for enhancing folks’s lives,” Pellegrini mentioned at his marketing campaign headquarters.
“I’ll do every part for Slovakia to perpetually stay on the facet of peace and never the facet of warfare.”
Pellegrini has portrayed Korcok as a warmonger for his help for arming Ukraine and prompt he might take Slovak troops into the warfare within the neighbouring nation, which Korcok denied.
Pellegrini, seen as extra reasonable than Fico, mentioned earlier on Saturday his election wouldn’t imply a rush to any elementary change in international coverage.
“This isn’t concerning the future route of international coverage. I additionally assure, like the opposite candidate, that we’ll proceed to be a powerful member of the EU and NATO,” he mentioned after voting in Rovinka on the outskirts of the capital.
Korcok conceded defeat and congratulated Pellegrini, however lashed out at him for profitable by spreading worry.
“A marketing campaign could be gained by making the opposite a candidate of warfare. I can’t neglect this,” Korcok mentioned at his marketing campaign headquarters. “The decisive issue was excessive turnout, I respect that, nevertheless it was worry that determined…spreading worry and hatred.”
Korcok, like Kyiv’s western allies, had argued {that a} halt in supplying Ukraine wouldn’t result in peace however to Russia’s victory.
The impartial Korcok, 60, was Slovakia’s envoy to the EU and later ambassador to the U.S., earlier than taking the international affairs portfolio in centre-right governments in 2021-2022.
On the time, Slovakia was a staunch ally of Ukraine, offering it with air defence and fighter jets.
Pellegrini, now speaker of parliament, was a long-time ally of Fico, who picked him to be prime minister after Fico was pressured to resign amid public protests towards corruption following the homicide of an investigative journalist in 2018.
He later cut up from Fico to arrange his personal occasion, Hlas (Voice), extra centrist and liberal than Fico’s populist-leftist SMER-SSD, however fashioned a authorities with Fico and the nationalist SNS final October.
