Presidential elections were held in Slovakia in March and April 2024. Incumbent president Zuzana Čaputová announced in June 2023 that she would not run for a second term.
In the first round held on 23 March, Ivan Korčok led with 43% of the votes followed by Peter Pellegrini with 37%. As no candidate received a majority, a runoff was scheduled between the two on 6 April. However, in the second round, Pellegrini defeated Korčok with 53% of the vote. He was sworn in as president on 15 June.Turnout was the highest in both rounds since the 1999 Slovak Presidential election, and the closest in history of direct presidential elections in Slovakia.
The election was widely regarded as a win for Slovakia's prime minister Robert Fico who saw his ally elected as President.
Electoral system
The President of Slovakia is elected using the two-round system; if no candidate gains a majority in the first round, a runoff will be held between the top-two candidates.
Candidates
Eligibility
Slovak citizens not sentenced for an intentional crime aged 40 or more are eligible to run for the office of president.
Each candidacy has to be supported by either 15 Members of the National Council of Slovakia or signatures of 15,000 citizens of Slovakia to be admissible. Candidates fulfilling eligibility criteria had until midnight 30 January 2024 to formally confirm their candidacy.
Disqualified
- Marta Čurajová, lecturer, judicial reform advocate. Launched the campaign on 19 December 2023 as an independent candidate.
- Peter Kuťka, Entertainer, influencer. Launched the campaign on 12 December 2023 as an independent candidate.
Withdrawn
- Ján Drgonec, former justice of the Supreme Court, former MP for ANO. Announced candidacy in March 2023. Collection of required 15-thousand signatures was in progress as of November 2023. In January 2024, he stopped the signature collection.
- Beáta Janočková, civil and parental rights activist. Announced candidacy as an independent candidate on 13 November 2023, initiating the collection of 15-thousand signatures to support her candidacy.
- Miroslav Radačovský, MEP. Announced his candidacy on 10 January 2024. He withdrew his candidacy in early February.
- Andrej Danko, Deputy Speaker of the National Council. Withdrew candidacy on 18 March 2024 endorsing Štefan Harabin. Remained on the ballot.
- Róbert Švec, Chairman of the Slovak Revival Movement. Withdrew candidacy on 20 March 2024 endorsing Štefan Harabin. Remained on the ballot.
Campaign
Milan Náhlik, Štefan Harabin, Marian Kotleba and Peter Pellegrini have expressed statements sympathetic with Russia in relation to its invasion of Ukraine and critical of the European Union, with Pellegrini supporting Ukraine opening negotiations with Russia. Meanwhile, Ivan Korčok has been supportive of the West and Ukrainian resistance against Russia. During the campaign, Pellegrini accused Korčok of being a warmonger who wants to send troops to Ukraine, which Korčok denied. Pellegrini also said that he was running for president "to rescue the government of [Prime Minister] Robert Fico." Fico also openly supported Pellegrini, calling him a “a moderate candidate who recognises the value of peace" and described Korčok as supporting "everything the West tells him without hesitation". Pellegrini and Fico's accusations were made despite the office of the president not having constitutional powers to deploy military forces abroad.
Korčok ran on the notion of "not letting Robert Fico take everything"
Following the results of the first round, Korčok said that he acknowledged a "need to reach out more to voters who supported the government parties,” adding that it was also clear that “they’re not satisfied with how this government is ruling, where it’s taking Slovakia.” Pellegrini congratulated Korčok for his first place and pledged to hold “several duels, as it should be” with Korčok before the second round, and “not to succumb” to an aggressive campaign style, having only engaged once in a debate prior to the first round of voting. He also noted that a majority of voters voted for nationalist candidates and not "a liberal, progressive" candidate, and predicted the second round of voting to be a tight race.
President Čaputová denounced war rhetoric used during the campaigning for the second round and defended both Pellegrini and Korčok from allegations that they were willing to deploy soldiers in Ukraine.
Results
In the second round, Pellegrini carried 61 out of 79 districts.
Aftermath
Following the results, Pellegrini pledged to be "a president of all Slovak citizens" and "be always by the side of Slovakia." Korčok conceded defeat and congratulated Pellegrini, while acknowledging that he was "disappointed" by the electoral result.
Pellegrini's victory is seen by analysts to be a gain for the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, with Pellegrini having been acquiescent in Fico's efforts to overhaul the justice system, which had launched investigations into members of Fico's SMER party and place public broadcasting under state control, in addition to sharing his views on Ukraine and relations with Russia.