Demokrati, a non-parliamentary party led by ex-premier Eduard Heger, claims that the opposition party Smer plans to change the presidential election from direct to indirect after the parliamentary elections held in September 2023.
“Its plan is clear - obtain power, win as many votes as possible, and change the constitution so that MPs, not people, elect the president,” said Demokrati party member Juraj Šeliga last Sunday.
At least 90 votes are required to change the constitution.
President Michal Kováč was the only Slovak president elected in parliament, in 1993. Six years later, Slovaks elected their first president, Rudolf Schuster. The change was then initiated by anti-Mečiar forces.
The office is currently held by Zuzana Čaputová, whose term ends next year. She has not announced if she will run for office again.
