Election24: Peter Pellegrini Will Run for President

        Banska Bystrica, January 19 (TASR) - I will run for the post of Slovak president, Parliamentary Chair and Voice-SD leader Peter Pellegrini officially announced during a speech at the Banska Bystrica State Opera on Friday.
        Pellegrini assured that in the case he's successful in the election, he'll give up the post of Voice-SD chair and Parliamentary head.
        "The president must be the one whom people will trust, who they will rely on in difficult times and who they will never have to be ashamed of," stressed Pellegrini, adding that the head of state shouldn't support the coalition or the opposition. He is convinced that the concept of the president as a counterweight to the government is mistaken. "It's a misunderstanding of the real role of the president," he noted, pointing out that the head of state must unite the country and enjoy respect abroad.
        Provided he wins the election, Pellegrini will propose either Denisa Sakova or Richard Rasi for the post of parliamentary chair. He'll recommend to the extraordinary congress of Voice-SD that his possible successor at the head of the party should be chosen from the current top leadership, which consists of the vice-chairs and the general manager of the party.
        The first round of the presidential election will be held on March 23, with a potential second round slated to take place on April 6. Current President Zuzana Caputova's term in office will expire on June 15. She won't re-run for the post. Candidates are allowed to spend a maximum of half a million euros on campaigning. The campaign will end with a 48-hour election moratorium.