Slovakia elects populist, pro-putin president
A POPULIST sympathetic to the Kremlin has won a presidential election in Slovakia, strengthening the central European bloc that opposes military support for Ukraine.
Peter Pellegrini won the election with 53 per cent of the vote, defeating the pro-western career diplomat Ivan Korock in a head-to-head run-off.
“It’s a huge satisfaction,” said Mr Pellegrini, who was the prime minister in 2018-20. “Slovakia remains on the side of peace and not on the side of war.”
He will replace Zuzana Caputova, who is staunchly pro-western. The role is largely ceremonial but can sway public opinion and has the power to appoint judges, sign international treaties and veto parliamentary legislation.
Mr Pellegrini’s victory comes as Ukraine reports an acute shortage of ammunition along the front line which has allowed better-armed Russian forces to capture territory. Ukrainian officials fear support in Europe for its war with Russia is dropping.
In October, Robert Fico, Mr Pellegrini’s political ally, won a prime ministerial election in Slovakia. Since then, Slovakia has cancelled military aid to Ukraine and backed calls by Viktor Orban, the populist leader of Hungary, for peace talks with the Kremlin.
Yesterday, Mr Orban celebrated Mr Pellegrini’s narrow win as “a great victory for supporters of peace”.
Slovakia is one of four EU former Communist bloc countries that share a border with Ukraine. Support for its neighbour was strong after Russia’s invasion in February 2022, but this has waned over the past year.
People have complained that the war has pushed up prices. Overall, inflation in Slovakia in 2023 measured 10.5 per cent, according to its central bank, although food price inflation was nearly double.
Farmers in central Europe, an important political and social force, have also been protesting against cheap imports from Ukraine which they say have undercut their livelihoods.
In September, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary imposed bans on agriculture products from Ukrainein a move that angered the European Commission.