Election in Slovakia: call for change

Liberal, ecological, pro-European: The civil rights activist Caputová the first round of the Slovak presidential election clearly won. In the runoff, she has all the best chances to win.

By Peter Long, ARD-Studio Prague

The cheering was still a little cautious in the election campaign headquarters of the new party "Progressive, Slovakia" - as if the Numbers do not believe quite liked, came on the screen. Also Zuzana Caputová seemed almost a little unsure, as she took to the stage.

"This result indicates, for me, a call for change," said Caputová. "It seems to me that the voters can not imagine a man as a President, perhaps for a long time in politics, but a different point of view on the reality, and other ideas for solutions."

The 45-year-old Caputová is only since 2017 is politically active. In the newly founded party of the "Progressive Slovakia" took over in 2018, the Vice-presidency.

against a candidate is hoping for votes from the Right

four weeks Ago the lawyer was in the polls by about ten percent. Your candidacy was, at best, as a stage on the way of their party to Parliament in a year. Now you took in the first round, 40.6 percent of the vote. Something like that has not experienced the political commentator Marian Lesko. "I don't recall that the support of a candidate would have risen within a week or two ever so sky rocket," says Lesko.

Caputová has won 71 of the 79 districts, their main competitor, Maros Sefcovic, only seven. The candidate of the left-wing Smer came to 18.7 percent. He wants to make an effort now stepped up to the voters of the Right, whose candidates have not been in the runoff election: The controversial judge Stefan Harabin received a 14.3, a right-wing extremist Marian Kotleba 10.4 percent.

"I'm going to put the accent heavily on the traditional Christian values," said Sefcovic. "For a majority of people in Slovakia this is very important. I really believe that this is a civilization anchor of our people, of our country."

Sefcovic after the first round significantly at the rear.

"Sefcovic would have to double its Numbers"

Sefcovic must catch up with Caputová. The sociologist Martin Slosiarik doubted that succeeds him. "It is likely that the Caputová-voters will come from the first round to the runoff. Alone she already has a big lead. Sefcovic would have to double its Numbers."

He has two Handicaps: Even many of the Smer-supporters of the party is lots of career Diplomat as a non-compelling stopgap. Whether he can convince the nationalist and extremist voters of Harabin and Kotleba? "He is the Vice-President of the EU Commission, has been working for ten years in the structures of Brussels," says Lesko. "I don't know what he wants to convince these anti-European and anti-TRANS-Atlantic oriented people."