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 legal 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 wouldn’t have many government powers, however can veto legal guidelines or problem them within the constitutional court docket. They nominate constitutional court docket judges, who might develop into necessary in political strife over the destiny of Fico’s reforms, which might dramatically ease punishments for corruption.
Fico’s coalition that features a get together headed by Pellegrini halted Slovak official shipments of weapons for Ukraine and Fico has spoken about what he referred to as western affect within the conflict which solely led to Slavic nations killing one another.
Pellegrini, 48, stated 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 might be a president who will help the federal government in its efforts for enhancing folks’s lives,” Pellegrini stated at his marketing campaign headquarters.
“I’ll do all the things for Slovakia to endlessly stay on the facet of peace and never the facet of conflict.”
Pellegrini has portrayed Korcok as a warmonger for his help for arming Ukraine and advised he might take Slovak troops into the conflict within the neighbouring nation, which Korcok denied.
Pellegrini, seen as extra average than Fico, stated earlier on Saturday his election wouldn’t imply a rush to any elementary change in international coverage.
“This isn’t concerning the future course of international coverage. I additionally assure, like the opposite candidate, that we are going to proceed to be a powerful member of the EU and NATO,” he stated 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 concern.
“A marketing campaign will be gained by making the opposite a candidate of conflict. I can’t neglect this,” Korcok stated at his marketing campaign headquarters. “The decisive issue was excessive turnout, I respect that, nevertheless it was concern that determined…spreading concern 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 in opposition to corruption following the homicide of an investigative journalist in 2018.
He later break up from Fico to arrange his personal get together, Hlas (Voice), extra centrist and liberal than Fico’s populist-leftist SMER-SSD, however shaped a authorities with Fico and the nationalist SNS final October.