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| Presidential candidate Zuzana Caputova, seen here casting her vote, has campaigned under the slogan: "Stand up against evil, together we can do it" |
Slovaks voted Saturday in round one of a ballot that could usher in their first female president, a vocal government critic who emerged as the clear favourite after an investigative journalist's murder dealt a blow to the political establishment.
Zuzana
Caputova, 45, was among tens of thousands of protesters who took to the streets
after the killing, which shocked the nation and raised fears about media
freedom and political corruption.
They were
the largest anti-government protests since communist times in the central
European country of 5.4 million people, which spent decades behind the Iron
Curtain before joining the European Union, the eurozone and NATO.
Opinion
polls give the environmental lawyer a double-digit lead over European
Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic, a 52-year-old career diplomat backed
by the ruling Smer-SD party, in the race for the largely ceremonial post.
"Caputova
attracts those who abhor corruption and are dissatisfied with what they see as
an increasingly... self-dealing government," said Kevin Deegan-Krause, a
central Europe expert at Wayne State University.
"Sefcovic
appeals to those with a certain satisfaction with the progress of a country
which, by many indicators, has not done at all badly over the last
decade."
Neither candidate is on track for an outright victory and a run-off vote is expected on March 30.
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Voters were
chosing one of 13 candidates vying for the top job
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Neither candidate is on track for an outright victory and a run-off vote is expected on March 30.
The
president ratifies international treaties, appoints top judges, is the
commander-in-chief of the armed forces and can also veto laws passed by
parliament.
Caputova, a
deputy head of the non-parliamentary Progressive Slovakia party, cast her
ballot in her southern city of Pezinok.
"Slovakia
is at a crossroads in terms of regaining the public's trust," she said,
flanked by her daughters and partner.
'Symbol
of change'
Journalist
Jan Kuciak and his fiancee were gunned down in February 2018 just as he was
about to publish a story on alleged ties between Slovak politicians and the
Italian mafia.
The double
murder and Kuciak's last explosive report, published posthumously, plunged the
country into crisis.
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Jan Kuciak
was probing political corruption when he was gunned down with
his fiancee his
Martina Kusnirova in February 2018
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Then prime
minister Robert Fico was forced to resign but remains the leader of the
populist-left Smer-SD and is a close ally of current premier Peter Pellegrini.
Four people
were charged with the killings.
On
Thursday, prosecutors said they had also charged multi-millionaire businessman
Marian Kocner with ordering the murder of Kuciak, who had been investigating
his business activities at the time.
Kocner is
believed to have ties to Smer-SD.
"With
this announcement, the authorities may have wanted to show just how effectively
the state functions so it could help Sefcovic gain some points,"
Bratislava-based analyst Grigorij Meseznikov told AFP.
"On
the other hand, this could also be a vindication for Caputova, as she is the
symbol of change."
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| The election comes after last year's shock murder of an investigative journalist probing high-level corruption |
Caputova
won a vote from outgoing President Andrej Kiska on Saturday. "It is
extremely important to continue this fight for a decent and fair
Slovakia," he told reporters.
She has
appealed to voters tired of the country's main political players and vowed to
restore public trust in the state, running on a slogan of: "Stand up to
evil".
Sports
diplomacy
On the
streets of Bratislava, several voters said they were impressed by her fresh
approach.
Project
manager Nora Bajnokova, 33, said she backed Caputova because "she is a
woman, a mother, a lawyer and not involved in active politics", while
31-year-old voter Ivan Jankovic called her "courageous and
open-minded".
But for
41-year-old security guard Oto, who did not give his last name, only Sefcovic
was "serious" enough to be president material.
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Presidential
candidate Maros Sefcovic is known for his toothy smile and love of sports
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"Sefcovic
is an experienced multilingual diplomat who can immediately represent Slovakia
abroad," said another voter, Milan Perunko, 54.
Campaigning
on the slogan "Always for Slovakia", Sefcovic has promised greater
social benefits for the elderly and young families.
Pensioner
Irena, 69, said she voted for him so her sons and grandchildren can "live
in a prosperous country."
A European
Commission vice-president since 2014, Sefcovic is known for his passion for
sports.
After
voting, he told reporters he would "have lunch with my family and in the
afternoon, I want to do some physical activity".
Eleven
other candidates are vying for the job, including Supreme Court judge Stefan
Harabin, far-right MP Marian Kotleba and ethnic Hungarian politician Bela
Bugar.
Slovaks are voting in round one of a ballot that could usher in their first female president, a vocal government critic who emerged as the clear favourite after an investigative journalist's murder dealt a blow to the political establishmenthttps://t.co/wfJAsbugXF— AFP news agency (@AFP) 16 maart 2019
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