Presidential elections were held in Slovakia in March and April 2009, the country's third direct presidential elections. After no candidate received a majority of the vote in the first round on 21 March, the second round on 4 April saw Ivan Gaà ¡paroviàbecome the first Slovak president to be re-elected, defeating opposition candidate Iveta RadiÃÂová by 56% to 44%.
There were seven candidates for the first round, which was held on 21 March:
Gaà ¡paroviàand RadiÃÂová advanced to the second round, winning 46.7% and 38.1% of the first round votes, respectively. Slovak women tended to be more supportive of RadiÃÂová.
In the second round of elections, held on 4 April, Gaà ¡paroviàreceived 1,234,787 votes (55.5%), winning election. RadiÃÂová received 44.5% of the vote. After the election, Gaà ¡paroviàsaid, "I am glad I can be standing here today with the prime minister and the speaker of the parliament ... The [election] is the most direct evidence that people trust us."
Voter turnout was 44% in the first round and 52% in the second round. Voter turnout among women slightly increased in both the first and second rounds of the election, which was attributed to RadiÃÂová's candidacy.