A pro-West diplomat and an ally of populist premier to meet in runoff for Slovakia’s presidency

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — A pro-western career diplomat defeated a close ally of Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico in the first round of the presidential election Sunday to set up a runoff between the two to decide who will succeed Zuzana Čaputová, the country’s first female president.

Former Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok had 42.13% of the votes late Sunday, with nearly all polling stations counted by Slovakia’s Statistics Office. Peter Pellegrini was in second with 37.28%

Because no candidate won an outright majority, a runoff will be held April 6 in this central European nation of 5.4 million people.

A former justice minister and judge, Štefan Harabin, 66, who has openly sided with Russia in its war with Ukraine was a distant third with 11.79%.

In all, nine male candidates sought to become Slovakia’s sixth head of state since it gained independence in 1993 after Czechoslovakia split in two.

Čaputová, a staunch backer of neighboring Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, didn’t seek a second term in the largely ceremonial post.

Korčok called the result “encouraging” and “promising,” but added that “we have to do more to win the runoff.”