Zuzana Caputova Wins Presidential Race
Bratislava, March 31 (TASR) – Zuzana Caputova accepts her election as the fifth president of the Slovak Republic with great humility and points out that Slovakia is calling for a change, TASR learnt on early Sunday.
The president-elect wants to pursue cooperation and unity, pledging to vie also for the trust of those who didn’t vote for her.
Caputova stated that her victory is the continuation of a political trend manifested in the 2018 municipal election and expressed hope that it will continue in the upcoming European Parliament election as well. “Slovakia is calling for a change,” she declared, adding that people long to see decency in politics.
Caputova, who will be appointed Slovakia’s first-ever female president on June 15, pointed that the divide between conservative and liberal voters is not insurmountable. “We managed to bridge that gap,” she claimed. “Let’s seek what unites us, let’s put cooperation on a better Slovakia before personal interests.”
The first foreign trip of Zuzana Caputova as president will be to the neighbouring Czech Republic. “I perceive the Czech Republic as a brotherly nation; we share our common history,” she said.
Caputova also plans to meet with representatives of political parties, particularly those of the governing coalition, and discuss important issues such as the election of prosecutor-general. Incumbent Prosecutor-General Jaromir Ciznar’s tenure will expire next year. “My vision is not only to elect a good candidate, but, if possible, also alter the rules of the vote and appointment of individuals to this important post.”
The president-elect intends to reach out to political leaders and discuss issues such as justice, environmental protection, rights of seniors and disadvantages groups. She also prefers factual and calm debate in politics and the effort to seek common ground.
Caputova is delighted by her election victory. “I’m happy not only with my victory, but the fact that it happened in a way doubted by many as impossible in the political arena – by speaking one’s own mind, not resorting to populism, speaking the truth and drawing attention as well as winning confidence without aggressive rhetoric and without personal lowblows,” she claimed, thanking her voters both in Slovak and in a minority language.
Zuzana Caputova garnered 1,050,210 votes or 58.37 percent, according to preliminary results released by the Statistics Office after processing 99.46 percent of ballots. Maros Sefcovic ended up a runner-up on 748,934 votes or 41.62 percent. The voter turnout currently stands at 41.81 percent.
