BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Zuzana Caputova, an anti-corruption campaigner with no experience in public office, won the first round of Slovakia’s presidential election on Saturday, setting up a tough clash with the ruling Smer party’s candidate.

Slovakia's presidential candidate Zuzana Caputova speaks after the first unofficial results at a party election headquarters in Bratislava, Slovakia, March 16, 2019. REUTERS/David W Cerny

Although voters appeared to spurn Smer a year after the murder of a journalist which sparked mass protests, the party’s Maros Sefcovic, an EU Commissioner, could pick up support among those who prefer stability to the change offered by Caputova.

The killing of Jan Kuciak, who reported on fraud cases involving politically connected businessmen, triggered the biggest anti-government protests in Slovakia since communism ended three decades earlier. It also led to the resignation of then prime minister, Smer leader Robert Fico.

The government remains in power, but Smer’s popularity has slumped. On the first anniversary of Kuciak’s murder, thousands of Slovaks rallied to protest against what they see as a lack of government action on the corruption he uncovered.

With results from 99.4 percent of polling stations counted, Caputova was in pole position with 40.5 percent of votes, far ahead of Sefcovic, who had 18.7 percent.

As no candidate secured a majority of all votes cast in the European Union and NATO member country of 5.4 million, the pair will now contest a second round on March 30.

If elected, the 45-year-old Caputova, a pro-European liberal who belongs to the small, non-parliamentary Progressive Slovakia party, will stand out among the populist nationalist politicians on the rise across much of Europe.

Endorsed by outgoing President Andrej Kiska, who did not seek reelection, Caputova has promised to end what she calls the capture of the state “by people pulling strings from behind,” while maintaining the course of Slovakia’s foreign policy.

“I see the message from voters as a strong call for change,” Caputova told reporters early on Sunday after her victory in the first round was clear.

Slovakia’s president does not wield day-to-day power but has veto power over the appointments of senior prosecutors and judges, pivotal in the fight against corruption.

The murder of Kuciak and his fiancee, who was shot dead alongside him, is still under investigation. The biggest breakthrough to date came just two days before the vote, when special prosecutors said they had charged businessman Marian Kocner, a subject of Kuciak’s reporting with connections across the political scene including with Smer, with ordering the murder.

“Caputova has a history of fighting for the common people as a public-interest lawyer and brings much-needed non-confrontational style and liberal values to the public debate,” Ivan Musak, 52, told Reuters at a polling station in Bratislava.

Caputova was dubbed “Slovakia’s Erin Brockovich” by fellow lawyers for leading a 14-year fight against an illegal landfill in her hometown, echoing the plot of a film that won Julia Roberts an Oscar.

But her pro-choice views and support for LGBT rights might alienate some voters in the socially conservative, ethnically homogenous country and complicate her way to become the first female president, analysts said.

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“Sefcovic, painting himself as a Christian, experienced candidate with contacts abroad, has already launched the campaign for the second round with combative statements towards Caputova,” sociologist Sona Gyarfasova said, adding he would seek to mobilize those who did not vote in the first round.

Supreme court judge and former justice minister Stefan Harabin, who promised to fight immigration, came third with 14.4 percent of votes, while the leader of a parliamentary far-right party, Marian Kotleba, was fourth with 10.6 percent.

Both have labeled Caputova as extreme-left and too liberal.</s>Image copyright Reuters Image caption If she wins in the second round, Caputova will become the first female president of Slovakia

Lawyer and anti-corruption campaigner Zuzana Caputova has easily won the first round of Slovakia's presidential election.

She has just over 40% with Maros Sefcovic of the ruling Smer-SD party her nearest rival on less than 19%.

Ms Caputova came to prominence during mass protests sparked by the murder of a journalist who had been investigating political corruption.

As no candidate won more than 50%, a second-round run-off will be held.

Turnout was just under 50%.

If Ms Caputova, 45, wins the second round in a fortnight's time, she will become Slovakia's first female president.

"I see the message from voters as a strong call for change," she said early on Sunday.

A member of the small Progressive Slovakia party, which has no seats in parliament, she is a newcomer to politics, whereas her conservative 52-year-old opponent is vice-president of the European Commission.

Ms Caputova first rose to prominence when she led a battle lasting 14 years against an illegal landfill.

More recently, Slovakia has seen large anti-government rallies following the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée in February last year.

The protests prompted Prime Minister Robert Fico to resign.

Image caption The murder of Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova convulsed Slovak society

A new suspect in the killings was charged earlier this week with ordering the murders.

Four others were charged by investigators last year.

Ms Caputova was backed in her campaign by outgoing President Andrej Kiska, who did not seek a second term in office.

The Slovak presidency is a largely ceremonial office, but the president has limited powers of veto over laws passed by parliament.</s>This article is more than 5 months old

This article is more than 5 months old

An anti-corruption campaigner with no experience of public office has won the first round of Slovakia’s presidential election, as voters spurned the ruling Smer party a year after the murder of an investigative journalist.

Environmental lawyer Zuzana Čaputová won 40.5% of the vote, with 99.4 of the ballots counted on Sunday, far ahead of the Smer candidate, Maroš Šefčovič, who had 18.7%.

The pair will now contest a second-round run-off on 30 March.

The 45-year-old Čaputová, a pro-European liberal who belongs to the small, non-parliamentary Progressive Slovakia party, would stand out among the populist nationalist politicians on the rise across much of Europe.

Slovak liberals cross fingers for election of pro-west Zuzana Čaputová Read more

Slovakia’s president does not wield day-to-day power but has veto power over the appointments of senior prosecutors and judges, pivotal in the fight against corruption.

“I see a strong call for change in this election following the tragic events last spring and a very strong public reaction,” Čaputová said on Saturday. “We stand at a crossroads between the loss and renewal of public trust, also in terms of Slovakia’s foreign policy orientation.”

The killing in February 2018 of Ján Kuciak, who reported on fraud cases involving politically connected businessmen, triggered the biggest anti-government protests in Slovakia since communism ended three decades earlier. It also led to the resignation of then-prime minister and Smer leader Robert Fico.

Fico’s government remains in power, but Smer’s popularity has slumped. On the first anniversary of Kuciak’s murder, thousands of Slovaks rallied to protest against what they see as a lack of government action on the corruption he uncovered.

The murder of Kuciak and his fiancee is still under investigation. The biggest breakthrough to date came just two days before the vote, when special prosecutors said they had charged businessman Marián Kočner, a subject of Kuciak’s reporting , with ordering the murder.</s>Lawyer Zuzana Čaputová won the largest share of votes in Slovakia’s presidential ballot Saturday, making her the frontrunner ahead of a second round later this month.

Čaputová, a newcomer to politics who has run a campaign focused on tackling corruption, won 40.6 percent of the vote, ahead of government candidate and European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič on 18.7 percent, according to the national statistics office.

The two will face off in the final round on March 30.

Voters’ support for Čaputová reflects the electorate’s frustration with Slovakia’s ruling Smer party, which has been the target of anti-government protests following the murder a year ago of journalist Ján Kuciak.

Čaputová, 45, has not previously held office. Vice-chairwoman of the recently formed pro-EU Progressive Slovakia party, she ran a campaign under the slogan “Let’s fight evil together,” Bloomberg reported.

Her message appears to have resounded with voters who took to the streets following the murder of Kuciak, who was investigating ties between officials and business at the time of his death.

In 2016 Čaputová won an environmental prize after campaigning in her hometown of Pezinok, near Bratislava, to shut down a hazardous garbage dump. Čaputová, who would be the first woman to hold the position if she wins in two weeks’ time, holds liberal views on both same-sex relationships and adoption.

Šefčovič took unpaid leave from his role at the Commission heading up the bloc’s energy union after announcing his candidacy in January, stating: “Our country needs a good, non-partisan president.”

The president in Slovakia does not wield day-to-day power but holds a veto over the appointments of senior prosecutors and judges, pivotal in the fight against corruption, Reuters reported.

Despite low unemployment and solid economic growth in Slovakia, the popularity of Smer has been plummeting. Smer’s Robert Fico resigned as prime minister last year following Kuciak’s death.

Two days before the vote, police in Slovakia said they charged businessman Marian Kočner with ordering the murder of Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová.

Read this next: French politicians condemn violent street clashes in Paris</s>Slovak environmental activist Zuzana Caputova took a step closer to becoming her country’s first female president after winning the first round of nationwide elections, signaling a potential sea change for a country that has fallen victim to rampant corruption since it was established in 1993.

Among the 13 candidates vying for the presidency, Caputova secured 40.56 percent of the vote on Saturday, with more than 99 percent of all districts reporting.

She beat Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice president backed by the ruling centre-left Direction-Social Democracy (Smer-SD) party, which took the second place with 18.66 percent of the vote.

The two leaders will now compete in a runoff election scheduled for March 30.

The result follows an impressive campaign from Caputova, a lawyer with no public office experience who for years fought to clean up a toxic landfill.

Since she announced her candidacy a year ago, she has staged a meteoric rise in the polls as the anti-corruption candidate standing up to a government that has become increasingly unpopular since the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak last year.

“I see a strong call for change in this election following the tragic events last spring,” Caputova told reporters as she cast vote in her home town Pezinok. “We stand on a crossroads between the loss and renewal of public trust.”

With a population of just 5.54 million and half of all eligible voters casting their ballot in the election, it became impossible for any one candidate to win outright in the first round.

Slovakia’s election rules mandate a candidate take at least 50 percent of all eligible votes, not only among those who participated.

Caputova’s resounding first-round victory poses a potential threat to the current political establishment under Smer-SD, experts believe.

Though the party is pro-EU, it has used a populist platform to strengthen political support, taking a strong stand against migration and EU decision-makers in Brussels.

“The mood in Slovakia fundamentally changed following the murders of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova 13 months ago,” said Rick Zednik, an American-Slovak who established the English-language newspaper ‘Slovak Spectator’ in 1995.

Found shot dead at his home near Bratislava last February, Kuciak at the time was investigating an alleged connection between Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate and high-ranking officials in the Slovak government.

The high-profile murders of Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, months before their wedding, sparked the largest nationwide protests in Slovakia since the Velvet Revolution in 1989.

Weeks later, the then Prime Minister Robert Fico resigned from his post, but remained the head of his party.

“Caputova stepped into this context as a political outsider. That, along with her achievements as a public defender, made her a credible alternative to the political establishment,” Zednik told Al Jazeera, adding that her ascension could be an important factor in the run-up to the next parliamentary election in 2020.

Earlier this week, Slovak prosecutors formally charged a controversial businessman with alleged ties to the mafia with the murders of the 27-year-old Kuciak and Kusnirova.

While the role of the president in Slovakia is symbolic in many respects, it wields a limited but important role in policy, with veto power over any bill passed by the National Council.

The president can also shape the country’s currently vulnerable judicial system, with the ability to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court as well as the judicial council.

“We only have four judges [serving in the Constitutional Court] and we need nine more elected, and Slovakia is waiting for a new president to choose those judges,” said Martin Poliacik, a member of the liberal Progressive Slovakia party, of which Caputova is deputy chairman.

He hopes that her success could lead to further backlash against the tide of populism that has swept much of Europe in recent years.

“I think the outcome of these elections will show us how much Slovakia is crying for a change, and not only internally, but for regional civilisation,” he said.

“She would give hope to those other countries as well.”</s>A rare bit of good news was welcomed by the staunchly pro-EU wing of reformist European politicians at the weekend after Slovakia’s Zuzana Caputova won the first round of her country’s presidential elections on 16 March.

A newcomer to Slovak politics, Caputova campaigned on a strong anti-corruption platform that singled-out the running the ruling Smer party.

Caputova secured a 40% share of the vote after running on a pro-Europe, liberal campaign in a political landscape that was dominated by nationalist politicians.

The candidate for the ruling Smer party was EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic who ran on a platform of continuity, family values, anti-immigration slogans, and a commitment to sovereigntist politics directed pointed criticism against Brussels.

Sefcovic previously hoped to secure the nomination of the centre-left to become the next President of the European Commission for the Socialists and Democrats captured only 19% of the vote. This now forces him to look for support from the right if he hopes to have a better showing in the second round.

Slovakia’s former justice minister, Stefan Harabin, ran on an anti-immigration platform and came third with 14.4% of the vote. Parliamentary speaker Marian Kotleba, who has often made positive references referred to the Slovak Republic of 1939-45 -a Fascist client state if Nazi Germany, secured a 10.6% share of the vote.

The second round is on March 30.

The Slovak political landscape was shaken after the assassination of Jan Kuciak, an anti-corruption journalist who reported political corruption. The investigation into the journalist’s murder is still open. Authorities have just charged businessman Marian Kocner, a politically well-connected figure who is accused of ordering Kuciak’s assassination.

Slovakia has since seen the biggest wave of anti-government protests since the end of communism.</s>The two leading contenders in Slovakia's presidential election will meet in a runoff vote that could give the central European country its first woman president.

Zuzana Caputova was leading with 40.5 percent of the votes with 99 percent of some 6,000 polling stations counted early Sunday, according to Slovakia's Statistics Office.

Running a distant second was Maros Sefcovic, an establishment figure who is the European Commission Vice President, with 18.7 percent support. Because no single candidate won an outright majority, a runoff will be held on March 30.

"I consider it a big call for a change," said Caputova, a 45-year-old environmental and anti-corruption activist who is in favor of gay rights and opposes a ban on abortion in the conservative Roman Catholic nation of 5.4 million people.

A pro-Russian populist candidate, Stefan Harabin, finished third in Saturday's first round of voting with 14.4 percent, while Marian Kotleba, chairman of a neo-Nazi parliamentary party, was fourth with 10.4 percent.

In all, 13 candidates vied to become the country's fifth head of state since Slovakia gained independence in 1993 after Czechoslovakia split in two.

In Slovakia, the president has the power to pick the prime minister, appoint Constitutional Court judges and veto laws. Parliament can override the veto with a simple majority, however. The government, led by the prime minister, possesses most executive powers

Andrej Kiska, a successful businessman-turned-philanthropist, was not standing for a second five-year term in the largely ceremonial post. Kiska backed Caputova in the vote.

Caputova has little experience in politics while attracting voters who are appalled by corruption and mainstream politics. She only recently became vice chairman of the non-governmental Progressive Slovakia, a liberal political party. She said she was planning to travel around the country ahead of the runoff to persuade those who voted for unsuccessful candidates to vote for her.

Caputova, as well Kiska, supported the huge street protests that led to the fall of former Prime Minister Robert Fico's coalition government amid a political crisis triggered by the slayings last year of an investigative reporter and his fiancee. The reporter was investigating possible widespread government corruption.

A career diplomat, Sefcovic, 52, was a member of the Communist Party before the anti-Communist 1989 Velvet Revolution. Sefcovic accepted an offer to stand from Fico's left-wing Smer-Social Democracy party. Sefcovic joined the commission in 2009 and became a vice president in 2010.</s>Government critic Zuzana Caputova on Saturday won the first round of Slovakia's presidential elections, according to preliminary results.

45-year-old Caputova got over 40 percent of the votes and her strongest challenger, the ruling Smer Party’s candidate Maros Sefcovic had over 18 percent of the vote.

Since none of the candidates received the absolute majority, Caputova and Sefcovic will contest a second-round run-off on March 30.

If Caputova won the second round, she would be Slovakia's first female president.</s>An anti-corruption lawyer running on a liberal platform has won the first round in Slovakia's presidential election, as voters punish the ruling Smer party a year after the murder of an investigative journalist.

The 45-year old environmental campaigner, Zuzana Caputova, won 40.5 percent of the votes on Saturday (16 March), well ahead of EU commission vice-president and Smer-backed candidate Maros Sefcovic who received 18.7 percent of the votes.

Their run-off will be on 30 March.

Slovak voters embraced Caputova's pro-European liberal message in what seems to be a backlash against rising national populism across Europe.

It is currently rare for a candidate promoting liberal democracy to be winning in the region, where a turn towards an authoritarian style of governing has been dominating politics in Hungary and Poland, and had an impact in neighbouring countries.

Slovakia's president does not hold power over the day-to-day political affairs of the country, but holds veto power over key appointments of prosecutors and judges,

Caputova, who hails from the small, non-parliamentary Progressive Slovakia party, told supporters on Saturday that she sees a "strong call for change in this election following the tragic events last spring and a very strong public reaction".

"We stand at a crossroads between the loss and renewal of public trust, also in terms of Slovakia's foreign policy orientation," she said, according to Reuters.

Last February the murder of a young investigative reporter Jan Kuciak and his finance, who was reporting on fraud cases involving politically well-connected businessmen triggered the biggest anti-government protests in Slovakia since the fall of communism there decades earlier.

The demonstrations led to the reluctant resignation of Smer leader and prime minister Robert Fico. A weakened Smer remained in power.

Two days before the first round of votes, special prosecutors said they had charged businessman Marian Kocner, a subject of Kuciak's reporting, with ordering the murder.

Caputova has had her own run-ins with Kocner, when Caputova spearheaded a campaign against a landfill site, which Kocner was involved in. The site was finally ordered to be closed after a 2015 European Court of Justice ruling.

Caputova, who has held no elected office before, was the target of an "intense disinformation campaign" according to Slovak think tank Globsec.

Sefcovic, who is taking an unpaid leave of absence from his commission job to run in Slovakia's presidential elections, could now turn to the right in the run-up to the second round.

Sefcovic could try to tap into the overall 25 per cent of votes cast for Stefan Harabin, a populist who campaigned against foreigners and Brussels, and far-right Marian Kotleba, who have railed against Muslim migrants threatening Europe and Christianity and advocated closer ties with Russia.

Smer-leader Fico could also push Sefcovic to take a harder line in the next few weeks, putting the Slovak EU politician - who is not a Smer member and himself has a reputation for a moderate in Brussels - in an awkward position.</s>BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - An anti-corruption campaigner with no previous experience of public office is set to win Slovakia’s presidential election on Saturday as voters spurn the ruling Smer party one year after the murder of a journalist sparked mass protests.

The killing of Jan Kuciak, who reported on fraud cases involving politically connected businessmen, triggered the biggest anti-government protests in Slovakia since communism ended three decades earlier. It also led to the resignation of then prime minister, Smer leader Robert Fico.

Fico’s government remains in power but Smer’s popularity has slumped. On the first anniversary of Kuciak’s murder, thousands of Slovaks rallied to protest against what they see as a lack of government action on the corruption he uncovered.

Polls show the Smer-backed candidate, European Union commissioner Maros Sefcovic, as trailing far behind political newcomer and lawyer Zuzana Caputova, whose endorsement by the protest movement has catapulted her to frontrunner position with support at over 50 percent.

If elected, the 45-year-old Caputova, a pro-European liberal who belongs to the small, non-parliamentary Progressive Slovakia party, will stand out among the populist nationalist politicians on the rise across much of Europe.

A year ago she was best known for leading a long fight against an illegal landfill in her hometown. Now Caputova says her aim is to disrupt “state capture by figures pulling strings from behind instead of elected representatives”.

“This election is the first opportunity for change after last year’s murder and subsequent public calls for decency, justice and fairness,” Caputova said in a Reuters interview on March 4.

The president does not wield day-to-day power but has veto power over the appointments of senior prosecutors and judges, pivotal in that fight.

The murders of Kuciak and his fiancee, who was shot dead alongside him, is still under investigation. The biggest breakthrough to date came just two days before the vote, when special prosecutors said they had charged businessman Marian Kocner, a subject of Kuciak’s reporting with connections across the political scene including with Smer, with ordering the murder.

Grigorij Meseznikov, of the Institute for Public Affairs, said Saturday’s election was the next step in a process started a year ago.

“We will see a face-off between those who want fairness and justice for all and those who created the current system and want to maintain it,” he said.

Under Smer, which has held the majority in parliament since 2006, Slovakia joined the euro zone and its growing economy is now the world’s largest per capita car producer.

But corruption remains a problem and this has galvanized anti-establishment voters. Slovakia ranks 57th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, behind neighbors Poland and the Czech Republic but ahead of Hungary.

The last AKO agency poll before the vote published on March 1, showed support for Caputova at 52.9 percent and Sefcovic at 16.7 percent.

In third place at 11.4 percent, was supreme court judge and former justice minister Stefan Harabin, who is running as an independent candidate. He has gained support with promises to fight immigration and dismantle EU sanctions against Russia. He slams LGBT rights as “sick ideology” and says he would “renounce all international treaties that Slovakia joined under pressure”.

With the vote still likely to go to a run-off on March 30, some see Harabin beating Sefcovic for the challenger position. This could render Smer more vulnerable in the run-up to the next parliamentary election in 2020.
Progressive Slovakia candidate Zuzana Čaputová, who ran on an anti-corruption campaign against the backdrop of Ján Kuciak's murder, wins the first round of Slovakia's presidential election with 40.5% of the vote while the ruling Direction – Social Democracy Party's candidate Maroš Šefčovič receives 18.6% of the vote. As no candidate reached 50%+1 votes in the first round, Čaputová and Šefčovič will take part in a second round on March 30, 2019. The ruling Direction – Social Democracy Party suffers its worst result since its founding in 1999.