Pellegrini declares presidential candidacy, solidifies Fico’s government

Slovak Parliament Speaker and former prime minister Peter Pellegrini announced his presidential candidacy on Friday, which, if successful, would tighten the grip on power of the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, with whom he has been politically linked for almost 20 years.

Before founding the Hlas party, Pellegrini was a member of the Smer party for almost 20 years. Following the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak, Fico was stripped of his prime ministership and handed it to Pellegrini.

Speaker of parliament and leader of the second largest governing party, Hlas, Peter Pellegrini, has officially announced that he will run for president under the slogan ‘Slovakia needs peace now’. His decision was approved by the Hlas party leadership.

Before announcing his candidacy, Pellegrini said he will not relinquish his position as parliament speaker or party leader. However, at today’s press conference, he clarified he will give up on the position of Hlas leader if he becomes the new Slovak president.

“I am convinced that the concept of the president serving as a counterweight to the government is absolutely mistaken,” Pellegrini said at the press conference on Friday (19 January) where he officially confirmed his candidacy.

“It only promises that the conflict between the highest constitutional bodies of Slovakia will continue. And that will naturally be transferred to the entire society. That is certainly the last thing Slovakia needs today,” he added.

Pellegrini claims that if he is to become president, he “would follow the letter of the law, which says that the president should be non-partisan”.

Pellegrini is currently leading the polls, with former foreign minister Ivan Korčok, who is starting to gain support from opposition parties, coming in second.

Korčok’s campaign is based on the premise that the ruling coalition should not take over all of the country’s leading positions, setting up his bid as some kind of ‘counterbalance’. Although he is a citizen’s candidate, Korčok has already received the support of the main opposition parties.

On Thursday (18 January), protests against controversial prime minister Fico’s criminal code reforms reached their new record. The fifth round of protests took place in 24 Slovak cities, five more than the previous week. In Bratislava alone, 26 thousand people showed up despite the rainy weather.

Some of the slogans chanted by the crowd included criticism of Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová, who wants to stop funding LGBTI+ projects, and also towards Pellegrini, whom protesters called Fico’s “errand boy”.

The latest poll shows Peter Pellegrini leading in the first round of the election with 40.6%, ahead of pro-Western diplomat Ivan Korčok with 37.7%.

(Natália Silenská | Euractiv.sk)

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