Presidential elections were held in Slovakia in March and April 2024. Incumbent president Zuzana ÃÂaputová announced in June 2023 that she would not run for a second term.
In the first round held on 23 March, Ivan KorÃÂok 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 KorÃÂok 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.
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.
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.
Milan Náhlik, à  tefan 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 KorÃÂok has been supportive of the West and Ukrainian resistance against Russia. During the campaign, Pellegrini accused KorÃÂok of being a warmonger who wants to send troops to Ukraine, which KorÃÂok 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 âÂÂa moderate candidate who recognises the value of peace" and described KorÃÂok 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.
KorÃÂok ran on the notion of "not letting Robert Fico take everything"
Following the results of the first round, KorÃÂok said that he acknowledged a "need to reach out more to voters who supported the government parties,â adding that it was also clear that âÂÂtheyâÂÂre not satisfied with how this government is ruling, where itâÂÂs taking Slovakia.â Pellegrini congratulated KorÃÂok for his first place and pledged to hold âÂÂseveral duels, as it should beâ with KorÃÂok before the second round, and âÂÂnot to succumbâ 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 ÃÂaputová denounced war rhetoric used during the campaigning for the second round and defended both Pellegrini and KorÃÂok from allegations that they were willing to deploy soldiers in Ukraine.
In the second round, Pellegrini carried 61 out of 79 districts.
Following the results, Pellegrini pledged to be "a president of all Slovak citizens" and "be always by the side of Slovakia." KorÃÂok 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.