Slovakia will on Saturday hold a final round of a presidential election that will see pro-Western diplomat Ivan Korcok face off against Ukraine-sceptic parliament speaker and government ally Peter Pellegrini.
They are vying to replace liberal President Zuzana Caputova, who decided not to seek a second term as head of state of the EU and NATO member.
Here is a look at the contenders.
Peter Pellegrini: populists’ ally
Backed by populist Prime Minister Robert Fico, Peter Pellegrini, the current parliament speaker, has pledged to “unite a divided Slovakia” in a campaign slogan.
A Slovak with distant Italian roots, Pellegrini was born on October 6, 1975 in the central city of Banska Bystrica to a car mechanic father and a teacher mother.
He once said he wanted to be a train conductor, adding: “I’m extremely interested in railways in general.”
He is fond of cars and music and was part of a dance ensemble and played the accordion in his youth.
The 48-year-old bachelor was also once dubbed “the sexiest politician in Slovakia” by women’s magazines.
After studying finance, he worked as an economist and later as an adviser to a lawmaker from the premier’s populist Smer-SD party.
Pellegrini became an MP for the party in 2006. Later on, he served as both education and health minister.
Pellegrini was prime minister from 2018 to 2020 when his long-time ally Fico was toppled following the murders of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee.
“The Slovak political scene is divided between those who are in favour of the continuation of the war (between Russia and Ukraine) at all costs, and those who demand the start of peace negotiations,” Pellegrini said.
“I belong to the latter,” he told AFP.
Pellegrini speaks Slovak, Russian, German and English.
He is a licensed pilot on a single-engine light aircraft.
In 2015, he posted a Facebook video from inside a fighter jet with the comment that he got “an amazing birthday gift”.
He has a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog named Gery.
Ivan Korcok: pro-Western diplomat
Though running as an independent, Ivan Korcok is backed by opposition parties that fear a Pellegrini victory would lead to presidential pardons of government allies found guilty of bribery and corruption.
The 60-year-old staunchly pro-Ukrainian politician is notably backed by Progressive Slovakia, co-founded by outgoing president Caputova, who has decided to step down for personal reasons.
Born on April 4, 1964, Korcok grew up in Banska Bystrica. His mother was a nurse while his father worked as an ambulance driver.
He attended the University of Economics in Bratislava before doing postgraduate studies in international relations.
A career diplomat, Korcok led the negotiations for Slovakia’s accession to NATO and has represented his country in the United States, Germany and Switzerland.
He was foreign minister from 2020 to 2022.
During the pandemic, Korcok openly expressed concerns about his prime minister Igor Matovic’s decision to order 200,000 Sputnik V vaccines from Russia in 2021.
Korcok called the vaccine “a hybrid war tool”.
An avid sportsman, he loves cross-country skiing and was once a competitive volleyball player. He also cycles and said he would visit his Austrian counterpart by bike as president.
“I am impatient,” he said when asked about his worst qualities. “When I say I’d like something to be done, I’d like it to be done right away,” he added.
He speaks Slovak, English and German and is a fan of abstract art.
“My family is not at all thrilled,” Korcok said in a recent interview with the Pravda newspaper when asked about how his wife and two children see his candidacy.
Korcok lost the backing of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia when, as foreign minister, he criticised the Hungarian government of Viktor Orban.
He is however very popular among young people. A recent survey found that if high school students could vote, Korcok would be their number one choice.
