Slovaks are on Saturday set to vote in a presidential runoff.

Polls open at 7 a.m. local time (0500 UTC) and close at 10 p.m.

Voters will choose between Peter Pellegrini of the left-wing nationalist Hlas-SD party, which is part of the ruling coalition, and opposition candidate Ivan Korcok.

Who are the candidates in Slovakia’s presidential election?

Korcok was Slovakia’s envoy to the EU and later ambassador to the United States. He has also served as minister of foreign and European affairs. 

Pellegrini, meanwhile, is in a coalition with Prime Minister Robert Fico of the left-wing nationalist Smer-SD party, which won the parliamentary election in September 2023. Also a junior partner in the coalition is the far-right Slovak National Party (SNS).

Pellegrini was a long-time ally of Fico, but later split off to form Hlas-SD, which is more centrist than Fico’s Smer-SD.

Outgoing President Zuzana Caputova of the liberal opposition Progressive Slovakia party is not seeking reelection.

Korcok’s candidacy has been endorsed by Progressive Slovakia, the conservative Christian Democratic Movement, the neoliberal Saska party and a number of smaller opposition parties.

Slovakia’s president ratifies international agreements, appoints high-level judges, is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and can veto laws passed by parliament.

Ukraine support on the agenda in tight race

The election is expected to be tight, with Korcok maintain a slight lead in polls.

Korcok is an independent and a strong supporter of providing Ukraine with arms deliveries.

Fico has vowed not to supply Ukraine with military aid.

Pellegrini portrayed Korcok as a war-monger doing the election campaign and suggested the independent candidate could drag Slovak troops into the war if elected.

Korcok has urged voters to give him support to limit the government’s executive power.

sdi/wd (Reuters, AFP)