Election24: Caputova on RTVS Asks Citizens to Use Their Right to Vote

        Bratislava, March 20 (TASR) - The best result for society will be if the next president can rely on a strong mandate from the election, President Zuzana Caputova said in an extraordinary speech on public-service broadcaster RTVS before the first round of the presidential election set to be held on Saturday (March 23), asking the citizens to use their right to vote.
        "No presidential candidate will raise pensions, make food cheaper, build a hospital or guarantee world peace, because they simply don't have the powers to do so. Even though those may be the very areas you consider most important to your life. But the president can guarantee constitutionalism, a decent representation of the country, an interest in society's most important issues, and exert legitimate pressure for change. And that is not a small thing at all," stressed Caputova.
        The head of state reminded the citizens that their will expressed in the election on Saturday will have to be accepted unconditionally by all political entities. She would consider the best result if the new president could rely on a strong mandate from the election. "The fact that none of us knows what the outcome of the presidential election will be can be seen as a gift. It's clear evidence that our society is still free. There are countries that don't have such freedom," she noted.
        According to Caputova, whoever assumes the most senior constitutional office will also need a strong mandate in order to be able to fulfil the difficult mission - to carry out his or her service for the benefit of all people, not just his or her voters. "I can confirm from my own experience that if the president wants to fulfil this mission honestly, it requires a lot of inner strength and energy. On the other hand, the great privilege of the office of the president is its intrinsic freedom. Presidents are accountable only to the citizens from whom their mandates come," she stated.
        The incumbent head of state hopes that five years from now Slovakia will have a respected position in the world, good relations with its neighbours, partners and allies, and that it will have moved further from where it is today. "I wish nothing more than for you, the citizens, to consider Slovakia a safe and friendly home, regardless of your status, profession, colour, orientation, nationality or religion," she said, adding that the role of the president is important in this, and every vote is important in the presidential election.