Lawyer Zuzana Caputova to Run for President in 2019 Election

Bratislava, May 29 (TASR) – Lawyer, long-standing civil activist and incumbent vice-chair of the extra-parliamentary Progressive Slovakia party Zuzana Caputova will join the battle for the Presidential Palace in the 2019 presidential election, TASR learnt on Tuesday.

Announcing her bid at a press conference in Bratislava, Caputova said that Slovakia needs to return to fairness and decency and to create conditions for a dignified life.

“Slovakia needs in the post of head of state a peaceful force capable of uniting, a force enjoying confidence that change is possible. I have this experience, and so I’ve decided to run for president,” said Caputova, who is well-known for her struggle to halt a landfill in Pezinok (Bratislava region) and to scrap the so-called Vladimir Meciar amnesties.

For many years she cooperated with civil association Via Iuris. “My career footprint has involved issues of justice and the law, on which I’ve placed strong importance,” she said, adding that environmental issues as well as forgotten groups of people, such as the elderly, are a big priority for her as well.
Caputova went on to say that it’s beneficial to compensate for purely male representation in the top posts of public bodies with a female element, as women can help to initiate negotiations instead of bringing disputes to the boil. “Women have their place in public life, so I’ve decided to try it, and only the election will show how it ends up,” said the lawyer.

Progressive Slovakia Vice-chair Michal Simecek said at the press conference that the party is ready to support Caputova fully in her bid for president.

The presidential election is set to take place in the spring of 2019. Incumbent President Andrej Kiska has announced that he won’t run for re-election.