VOTE: Foreigners can vote in local elections

EVERY foreigner with permanent residence in Slovakia is eligible to participate in the upcoming local elections, regardless of their citizenship. They can cast their votes for candidates for mayoral positions and for seats on municipal councils.

EVERY foreigner with permanent residence in Slovakia is eligible to participate in the upcoming local elections, regardless of their citizenship. They can cast their votes for candidates for mayoral positions and for seats on municipal councils.

To vote in the municipal elections, foreigners (as well as Slovak citizens) must be 18 or older and have permanent residence status in Slovakia, said Michal Kaliňák, the spokesperson of the Association of Towns and Villages of Slovakia (ZMOS).

“If a foreigner has permanent residence in a municipality, he or she has the right to vote for the self-administration bodies of the respective municipality and even has the right to be elected to one of the self-administration bodies of the respective village or town – that is, as a mayor or as a member of the local council,” Kaliňák told The Slovak Spectator.

The municipal elections will take place on Saturday, November 27. Polling stations will be open from 7:00 to 20:00 on that day.

The Central Election Committee has advised voters to pay attention to the number of candidates they can vote for. Only one candidate for the post of mayor can be selected.

When voting for members of their municipal council, voters should be aware of the number of council seats which is stated at the top of the ballot. That number determines the maximum number of candidates that can be voted for.

If more than that number are marked, the ballot is considered invalid and void. Voters select their choices by circling names on the ballot.

The police have asked all those intending to vote to make sure their ID cards are valid.

“Voting can only be done on the basis of an ID card,” police spokesperson Denisa Baloghová told The Slovak Spectator.

“It is therefore important to check the validity [of one’s ID] and if needed, get a new ID in time,” she stressed.


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