Anti-corruption candidate Zuzana Caputova leads Slovak poll

Lawyer and anti-corruption campaigner Zuzana Caputova has easily won the first round of Slovakia’s presidential election. She has just over 40% with Maros Sefcovic of the ruling Smer-SD party her nearest rival on less than 19%. Ms Caputova came to prominence during mass protests sparked by the murder of a journalist who had been investigating political corruption. As no candidate won more than 50%, a second-round run-off will be held. Turnout was just under 50%. If Ms Caputova, 45, wins the second round in a fortnight’s time, she will become Slovakia’s first female president. “I see the message from voters as a strong call for change,” she said early on Sunday. A member of the small Progressive Slovakia party, which has no seats in parliament, she is a newcomer to politics, whereas her conservative 52-year-old opponent is vice-president of the European Commission. Ms Caputova first rose to prominence when she led a battle lasting 14 years against an illegal landfill. More recently, Slovakia has seen large anti-government rallies following the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée in February last year. The protests prompted Prime Minister Robert Fico to resign.