Slovakia: presidential run-off vote
A run-off election this Saturday will decide who becomes Slovakia's new head of state. The liberal former foreign minister Ivan Korčok faces off against leftist parliamentary speaker Peter Pellegrini, who belongs to the camp of the controversial Prime Minister Robert Fico's government. Korčok won the first round with a lead of five and a half percentage points.
Korčok needed as a counterweight
Matúš Kostolný, editor-in-chief of Denník N, takes a clear stance ahead of the decisive vote:
“It is crucial for Slovakia that Ivan Korčok becomes president. This would give us a chance to avoid sinking to the bottom in a world of conspiracies, war and hatred. Although the president does not have powers that would allow him to actively change the government's policy, he can exert his authority from the presidential palace and say that the government is pulling us in the wrong direction. This could give people hope that the world has not gone completely mad and that not everyone is like [the leaders of the ruling coalition parties] Fico, Danko or Pellegrini.”
Pellegrini's partners will make him pay for their backing
Only on the last day of the election campaign did the coalition partners back their candidate Pellegrini - and even then only half-heartedly, Aktuality.sk observes:
“Fico and [the leader of the nationalists Andrej] Danko did their duty and supported Pellegrini, but not out of enthusiasm. ... This was not an expression of trust in Pellegrini but an expression of opposition to Korčok. ... Now on Sunday the even more difficult and unpleasant part of Pellegrini's political career begins. Regardless of whether he wakes up as a future president or just a failed and humiliated coalition partner. In either case, Fico and Danko will see him as someone beholden and subordinate to them. And they will not be ashamed to demand what Pellegrini owes them.”
Not a contest between good and evil
Pravda puts a damper on all the fuss over the election:
“Presidential elections in Slovakia often turn into a battle between absolute good and absolute evil. It's no different this time. At the same time, it would be hard to find more centrist candidates than Korčok and Pellegrini. ... The long-term problem in Slovakian politics is a kind of herd instinct, an uncritical adoration of politicians (and condemnation of their opponents) and exaggerated expectations. In reality, it will hardly make any difference whether one or the other ends up in the presidential palace. The president has only limited powers; the real power lies in the hands of the government and parliament.”