Eva Mihočková – Visegrad Insight April 7, 2024

Peter Pellegrini triumphs in Slovak elections, signalling a new era of Russia-aligned leadership.

The Saturday victory of Peter Pellegrini, Speaker of Parliament, boosts Prime Minister Robert Fico and raises concerns about the rule of law, consolidating power and diverting Slovakia’s foreign policy direction from Western allies in the EU and NATO.

Moscow dubbed peace narrative wins more votes

Peter Pellegrini won in the second round of the presidential elections with 53% of the vote, defeating the pro-Western diplomat Ivan Korčok, who had the support of the democratic opposition. Pellegrini’s victory was aided by a record turnout of 61%, strong mobilisation of voters from the current government coalition, and support from radical anti-system voters and the Hungarian minority.

“I want to be a president who will protect and defend the national interests of Slovakia while respecting the country’s foreign policy orientation. I will do everything to keep Slovakia on the side of peace and not on the side of war, regardless of who criticises me for it,” Pellegrini declared from his election headquarters in Bratislava shortly after all votes were counted.

His defeated political contender, Ivan Korčok, did not hide his disappointment. During the election night, he openly declared that Pellegrini became president due to the false spread of fear of war and hatred towards the liberal-progressive part of society. “Today it’s about Slovakia’s place in the world. We must start rebuilding relationships in the country and take back the notion of patriotism because it has been captured and misused for spreading hatred,” the former Minister of Foreign Affairs said.

Fico won his referendum on his government

Pellegrini’s victory means that the government coalition led by Fico (Smer-SSD) will strengthen its power in the state.

“This was a referendum on our government. Most voters said they want us to continue fulfilling our government program,” Fico said at a press conference alongside Pellegrini.

Although the president has largely ceremonial powers according to the Slovak Constitution, the person holding the office plays an important role in appointing government members and judges.

The Constitutional Court has recently proven to be a critical element in the system of checks and balances when it suspended the effectiveness of controversial changes to the criminal law, criticised mainly by the European Union and especially the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Orbán sponsored a political influence operation in support of Pellegrini

Under Fico, Slovakia is increasingly moving away from Western allies, halting official military aid to Ukraine as government representatives adopting pro-Russian rhetoric. Pellegrini is a close ally of Fico. Even though he had previously tried to present himself as a moderate politician, he reassured the public of his continuous loyalty immediately after being elected.

After these presidential elections, the country will politically lean even closer to the authoritarian regime of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who openly supported Pellegrini in the presidential campaign.

There is also no expectation of improvement in relations with the Czech Republic, which is traditionally the Slovak Republic’s closest partner.

“The president influences how the state appears externally. Pellegrini, as the president, would complicate Czech-Slovak relations. While we still have a lot in common, cooperation would be more difficult,” stated Czech MEP Marcel Kolaja (Pirates) during the election night before the announcement of the results for CNN Prima News.

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