Slovakia presidential elections 2024: what you need to know

Why are these elections important?

The Slovak presidency is largely a ceremonial position but can play an important role when, as has been the case over the past five months, the president and prime minister represent opposing political camps.

Outgoing President Zuzana Caputova, an outspoken liberal, has used her limited powers and bully pulpit to oppose the agenda of Prime Minister Robert Fico, a combative veteran politician who returned to power in October after years in the political wilderness . He In 2018 he resigned as prime minister in disgrace amid a whirlwind of corruption allegations following the murder of an investigative journalist who had been investigating government bribery.

Mr Fico, who since returning to power has often presented the United States, not Russia, as the main threat to European security, wants to undo Slovakia’s previously strong support for Ukraine. He also wants to overhaul the legal systems to limit their ability to prosecute corruption. Ms Caputova opposes both objectives and has delayed legislation on the judiciary by sending it for constitutional review.

Opinion polls show the front-runner to replace Ms. Caputova is Peter Pellegrini, a former close ally and sometime rival of Mr. Fico. A victory for Mr. Pellegrini would likely free the government to weaken the judiciary and take a more combative position within the European Union on policy toward Ukraine. Slovakia, breaking boundaries with EU policy, sent its foreign minister to his Hungarian counterpart last week for a meeting in Turkey with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

But Mr Fico, unlike Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, has so far not tried to block EU aid to Ukraine and has largely avoided openly siding with Hungary against much larger and more powerful European countries. (Slovakia has fewer than 5.5 million inhabitants.) There is also a history of bad blood between Slovak nationalists, such as Mr Fico, and Mr Orban, over what they see as Hungarian interference in the affairs of the major ethnic Hungarian minority in Slovakia.

Who is running for president?

Eleven candidates are participating in the March 23 vote, which is likely to take place on April 6, as no one is expected to win a majority in the first round.

The crowded field, dominated by nationalists, includes a far-right xenophobe, Marian Kotleba, and former parliament speaker Andrei Danko, who is an ardent admirer of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. The liberal camp is represented by a former foreign minister, Ivan Korcok, a pro-Western career diplomat who served as ambassador to the United States and often speaks out in support of Ukraine.

Who is expected to win?

Opinion polls give Mr. Pellegrini and Mr. Korcok each between 35 and 40 percent of the vote, far above everyone else, but not enough to avoid a runoff. A victory for Mr Pellegrini would remove a brake on Mr Fico’s ambitions, while a victory for Mr Korcok would likely lead to a repeat of the current impasse between the government and the president.

When will we get to know the outcome?

The results of the first round, which will at least show whether a single candidate has won a majority and which two candidates will face off in a likely runoff, should be clear late on Election Day. The timing of the run-off results will depend on how close the race is.