Slovakia will elect its new president on Saturday, April 5. According to your preferences, who would you vote for? The KohoVolit.eu association also created a traditional application for the 2nd round – an election calculator that compares your opinions with the programs and opinions of the candidates. You can try the calculator on Blesk.cz right now.
“Cut” on the last debate
At the same time, both rivals have the campaign behind them. And her final was heated, which was also reflected in the last debate on the public broadcaster RTVS. Speaker of the Parliament and the government party Hlas-Social Democracy Pellegrini claimed that career diplomat Korčok has arrogant and superior attitudes and he thinks that only he is the right candidate for the position of head of state.
Korčok objected to this outburst and claimed that his opponent wanted to look like a people’s president, but he behaves differently. He added that Pellegrini wants to flee to the presidential palace because he is failing to fulfill the promises made to the people during the campaign before last year’s parliamentary elections.
According to Korčok, their joint statement, in which they called him an anti-Slovak presidential candidate, was a manifestation of the panic of the three government parties and a person who, as head of state, would seek to create a second power center with the aim of destroying the government and triggering early parliamentary elections.
According to Korčok the ruling parties want to send someone to the presidency who will be just their extended hand.
“Wherever the government works for the people, the president must support it,” said Pellegrini, who previously said he would like to protect a nationally oriented and social democratic government as president.
Korčok again compared Pellegrini to Prime Minister Robert Fico’s extended handin whose Party Direction-Social Democracy Pellegrini worked for 20 years in the past.
Pellegrini clearly did not answer the moderator’s question, whether Slovakia should help the attacked state in the event of an attack on a NATO member country by Russia, as it follows from the collective defense commitment within the alliance. Korčok, on the other hand, said that Slovakia cannot be a black passenger in NATO and that the alliance is the best defense organization for Slovakia.
Pellegrini claimed that the situation is worsening with the supply of weapons to Ukraine, which is resisting the Russian invasion. He added that both sides should stop killing in the conflict and that even the life of a Russian soldier has a price. After taking office last October, the current Slovak government stopped military aid to Kyiv from the state reserves.
Korčok won the first round of the presidential election in March with an unexpectedly large lead over Pellegrini. According to polls, the decisive second round does not have a favorite, so a close fight between the two candidates is expected.