The heads of all eight administrative regions in Slovakia were reelected, according to results released Sunday. Incumbents from national-populist Prime Minister Robert Fico‘s ruling coalition retained two regional leadership positions in Saturday’s elections. Candidates from the parliamentary pro-Western opposition secured four regions, while independents kept control of the remaining two posts.
In a significant contest in the eastern Prešov region, Milan Majerský, chairman of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), won with over 48% of the vote, beating a candidate nominated by the far-right Republic party, which garnered 35%.
The right-wing extremist Republic party, a member of the Europe of Sovereign Nations Group in the European Parliament, is currently Slovakia’s third-most popular political party, according to recent polling data, with approximately 11%. Looking ahead, Slovakia, which has a population of 5.4 million and is a member of both the European Union and NATO, is scheduled to hold a parliamentary election in the coming year. Additionally, in a separate election traditionally dominated by independent candidates, Matúš Vallo, representing the opposition, has been reelected for a third term as mayor of the capital city, Bratislava.
This article used information from The Associated Press.
