Slovakia elects pro-Russia Pellegrini as president, joins outspoken PM Fico

Al Jazeera
Wed, 10 Apr 2024 17:16 UTC

Parliament Speaker Peter Pellegrini wins second round of presidential election, cementing the grip of pro-Russian PM Robert Fico.

Slovak nationalist-left government candidate Peter Pellegrini has won the country's presidential election, cementing the grip of pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico over the country.

Pellegrini had 53.26 percent of the vote, versus 46.73 percent for pro-Western opposition candidate Ivan Korcok, results from 99.66 percent of voting districts showed on Saturday.

Fico, who took power for the fourth time last October, has turned the country's foreign policy to more pro-Russian views and initiated reforms of criminal law and the media, raising concerns over weakening the rule of law.

Slovak presidents do not have many executive powers but can veto laws or challenge them in the Constitutional Court. They nominate Constitutional Court judges, who may become important in political strife over the fate of Fico's reforms, which would dramatically ease punishments for corruption.

Comment: Fico is aiming to be permissive with corruption? That seems unlikely.

Fico's coalition which includes a party headed by Pellegrini halted Slovak official shipments of weapons for Ukraine and Fico has spoken about what he called Western influence in the war which only led to Slavic nations killing each other.

Comment: Indeed. Fico is one of the few European statesmen calling out the West's sinister policies: Slovakia's PM Fico: Ukraine's 'rampant neo-Nazis' were cause of war, Kiev NATO membership is attempt to start WWIII

Pellegrini, 48, said his victory meant the government would have support in its aims, and not face an "opposition, opportunistic power centre" in reference to outgoing liberal President Zuzana Caputova.

"I will be a president who will support the government in its efforts for improving people's lives," Pellegrini said at his campaign headquarters.

"I will do everything for Slovakia to forever remain on the side of peace and not the side of war."

Pellegrini, who was Fico's former deputy in Smer, became prime minister in 2018 after Fico was forced to resign following large antigovernment street protests over the killing of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee.

Comment: Considering Fico's stance, one can imagine that the West has had him in their sights for a while.

Pellegrini had temporarily parted ways with Fico after the scandal-tainted Smer lost the previous election in 2020.

With Pellegrini's win, Fico rebounded from two straight presidential election losses. Fico was defeated at the presidential vote by Andrej Kiska 10 years ago while Caputova claimed victory over a candidate he supported in the 2019 ballot.

'Disappointed'

Opposition-backed Korcok conceded defeat as nearly complete results showed Pellegrini winning.

"I am honestly disappointed. But I'm an athlete so I can respect even this result. I want to congratulate the winner," Korcok said.

"I want to express my belief that Peter Pellegrini will be independent and will act according to his own convictions and without orders," he added.

Pellegrini has portrayed Korcok as a warmonger for his support for arming Ukraine and suggested he could take Slovak troops into the war in the neighbouring country, which Korcok denied.

Pellegrini, seen as more moderate than Fico, said earlier on Saturday his election would not mean a rush to any fundamental change in foreign policy.

"This is not about the future direction of foreign policy. I also guarantee, like the other candidate, that we will continue to be a strong member of the EU and NATO," he said after voting in Rovinka on the outskirts of the capital.

Korcok lashed out at Pellegrini for winning by spreading fear.

"A campaign can be won by making the other a candidate of war. I will not forget this," Korcok said at his campaign headquarters.

"The decisive factor was high turnout, I respect that, but it was fear that decided ... spreading fear and hatred."

Korcok, like Kyiv's Western allies, had argued that a halt in supplying Ukraine would not lead to peace but to Russia's victory.

The independent Korcok, 60, was Slovakia's envoy to the EU and later ambassador to the United States, before taking the foreign affairs portfolio in centre-right governments in 2021-22.

Comment: Regarding the election, Mike Shedlock writes:

Decline of the EU Center

The EU is increasingly fragmented over Ukraine, agricultural policy, and energy policy. There is no chance that the EU increases its push towards EVs.

The European parliament elections are in June and the centrists rate to take some huge losses, especially in France, but all across Europe.

The EU is increasingly dysfunctional. Rules make it near impossible to implement any major changes on the Euro, trade policy, and fiscal policy rules, areas that require unanimity to make changes.

In areas where countries can decide individual actions such as support for Ukraine, Slovokia now firmly joins Germany and Hungary in a pro-Russia stance.

Germany?? Evidently: 'Germany yet to be fully deNazified' - Russia's Zakharova

Hungarian Leader Victor Orban Congratulates Pellengrini

Macron is increasingly isolated in France for wanting to stand up to Putin. That will hurt him the parliamentary elections.

European Council President Calls on Europe to Switch to a War Economy

On March 21, I reported European Council President Calls on Europe to Switch to a War

As a way to create jobs, EC President Charles Michel promotes a war economy. Where that would lead is obvious.

Solidarity With Ukraine

Solidarity with Ukraine is drying up everywhere. Support is "so deep" that in the EU it died over wheat. Seriously. It's not just Poland. Farmers across the EU are hopping mad over Ukrainian wheat and corn.

Fortunately, Michel's call is going nowhere for two reasons.

The first is support for Ukraine is waning. The second and more important is fiscal rules would prevent it.

And it's impossible to change the fiscal rules.

Expect a Financial Crisis in Europe With France at the Epicenter

The EU never enforced its Growth and Stability Pact or Maastricht Treaty rules. The crisis is coming to a head with France and Italy in the spotlight. The first casualty will be Green policy.

For discussion, please see Expect a Financial Crisis in Europe With France at the Epicenter

Ukraine Won't Win the War, It's Time for a New Strategy

On March 16, I noted Ukraine Won't Win the War, It's Time for a New Strategy

Support for Ukraine is waning in the US and has totally dried up in Germany. French president Emmanuel Macron is making a symbolic last stand but it's more likely to backfire than help Ukraine.

In Germany, SPD, the lead party in the ruling coalition, openly supports a partition of Ukraine.

In the US, Biden is making a big push for Ukraine with no stated goals or endgame.

It will be interesting to see what concoction Speaker Mike Johnson come up with, but more money will do nothing but prolong the war.

Why is this our battle anyway when Europe increasingly does not give a damn? Don't we have enough problems here on our own border?

Further background regarding Slovakia:

President-elect of Slovakia Pellegrini:

My idea is peace and an end to the killings. I clearly state that I am a politician who will never allow a Slovak soldier to go to fight in Ukraine. Therefore, I think that we did not scare people, but on the contrary. I actually assured every mother and every father in Slovakia that their son would not go to fight in Ukraine. Let's see what's happening in the world.

The President of Poland said that war is just around the corner and he does not know in what year this will affect his country. In Sweden, leaflets are distributed describing how to survive in the event of an invasion and military conflict. In Germany, the head of the Ministry of Defense says that children need to be taught the rules of behavior during war and somehow protected.

So from this point of view, it is not yet clear how this conflict will end. I am very glad that I joined the circle of politicians. Obviously, there are many opinions, but I will say it bluntly, as I have said more than once. I would rather listen to the words of the Pope than, in this case, the President of France Emmanuel Macron. Although I know him, we are at odds.