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Pellegrini, parliament speaker and a member of Fico’s ruling coalition, won 53.1% of the vote, beating pro-European Union diplomat Ivan Korcok, according to official results published on Sunday.
The presidential victory will strengthen forces within the EU that oppose sending more weapons for Kyiv at the time when it appears increasingly outgunned by Russia following two years of fighting.
During the campaign, Pellegrini accused Korcok, who advocated supporting Ukraine, of wanting to drag the country into war. The new head of state will now represent Slovakia at the meetings of leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“I’ll do everything to ensure that Slovakia remains on the side of peace and not war, and let anyone criticize me for it if they want,” Pellegrini told reporters in Bratislava after announcing his victory.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto congratulated Pellegrini with a statement calling his election win a boost to “pro-sovereignty and pro-peace forces.”
Russia has recently stepped up the tempo of its ground operations, along with intensified airstrikes, including bombardments of its neighbor’s energy infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged the US to provide more support as Congress remains deadlocked on funding additional military aid to Kyiv.
Since returning to power last year, Fico has aligned himself with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban as the most pro-Russia leader in the region. He has irked the EU’s mainstream and its allies by criticizing NATO and saying he intends to normalize ties with Moscow.
The Slovak four-time premier has also triggered public protests and scrutiny from the EU for his decisions to curb the fight against corruption and suppress independent media. The presidential victory would ease his path to approving legislation and appointments of key public officials.
As a parliament speaker, Pellegrini has played a crucial role in pushing through Fico’s contested judicial overhaul, which has raised alarm in the EU. He signaled on Sunday his support for prime minister’s agenda will continue.
‘Yes-Man’
Pellegrini began his political career in 2002 as an assistant to a lawmaker from Fico’s Smer party. He was elected a member of parliament in 2006, and since then, his ascent within the political sphere has been notable. He acted as a deputy finance minister, education minister, parliament speaker, deputy prime minister for investment, and prime minister.
His trajectory, marked by almost two decades of unwavering allegiance to Robert Fico and Smer party, earned him among his critics the moniker of a “yes-man.”
“The government can count on that — as long as it fulfills its program — it doesn’t have to fear that the presidential palace will become an opposition center harming the cabinet, as it was in the past,” Pellegrini said in his victory speech.
–With assistance from Andras Gergely.
(Updates with Hungarian minister’s comment in the sixth paragraph.)
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