BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Voters in Slovakia headed to the polls on Saturday to elect a successor to Zuzana Čaputová, the country’s first female president and a staunch backer of neighboring Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Čaputová isn't seeking a second term.
Peter Pellegrini, a close ally of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico, is considered a favorite in the race for the largely ceremonial post of president. He leads a field of nine candidates in the first round of the presidential election to become the country’s sixth head of state since Slovakia gained independence in 1993 after Czechoslovakia split in two.
Polls will close at 2100 GMT (5 p.m. EDT) and results are expected Sunday.
If no candidate gets a majority, which is expected, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff on April 6.
Pellegrini, 48, who favors a strong role for the state, heads the left-wing Hlas (Voice) party that finished third in the Sept. 30 parliamentary election. His party joined a ruling coalition with Fico’s leftist Smer (Direction) party and the ultranationalist Slovak National Party. The new government immediately halted arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Pellegrini said Saturday in Bratislava that Slovakia's membership in the European Union and NATO hasn't been questioned.
“That we talk about a more sovereign voice of Slovakia or about a sovereign foreign policy ... doesn't necessarily mean that we change the basic direction of our foreign policy,” Pellegrini said.
Former Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok, 59, a pro-Western career diplomat is his main rival.
“From my point of view, I did all I could," Korčok said Saturday after casting the ballot in the town of Senec near the capital Bratislava. “It's up to the people to consider carefully what the future head of state will look like.”
Korčok had also served as Slovakia's ambassador to the United States and Germany, and firmly supports his country's membership in the EU and NATO.
Most public polls expect a narrow victory for Pellegrini in the first round.
A former justice minister and judge, Štefan Harabin, 66, who has openly sided with Russia in its war against Ukraine is predicted to finish third.
Another former foreign minister and career diplomat, Ján Kubiš, and far-right leader Marian Kotleba are among other notable candidates.
