Slovakia election: pro-EU diplomat beats ally of populist PM to set up runoff for presidency
GuardianMar 26
Slovakia: Pro-West Candidate Beats PM’s Ally, Set for Presidential Run-off
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The Facts
Slovak ex-foreign minister Ivan Korcok, a pro-West diplomat, won a surprise victory on Saturday in the first round of Slovakia's presidential election, setting him up to face off against current parliament speaker Peter Pellegrini in April's presidential election runoff.
As of Saturday night, with nearly all votes counted by Slovakia's Statistics Office, Korcok had received 42.13% of ballots, with Peter Pellegrini in second with 37.28% of the votes.
The Spin
Right narrative
Slovakians are not interested in having a progressive president who will do nothing but cause division within government. What Slovakians really need is a President who has national interests at heart and who will prioritize the needs of their own country above the desires and influences of the EU and the West. This, however, does not mean that any of the candidates intend to drastically change the fundamentals of the country's foreign policy. Slovakia will always remain in NATO and the EU.
Left narrative
As president, Korcok would provide some much-needed balance to Slovakia's government. If an ally of PM Fico is elected as president, corruption in the country would be allowed to run essentially unchecked, with the path cleared for corrupt politicians to easily be pardoned. Having a President and a PM from opposing parties would create appropriate counterweights on both sides that would contribute to the strength of Slovakia's democracy. Although an underdog, Korcok is a strong contender in this race.