Good evening. Here is the Monday, April 8 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Peter Pellegrini wins presidential election
Peter Pellegrini. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
With more than 53 percent of votes gained in the Saturday election, Speaker of Parliament and Hlas chair Peter Pellegrini has become the next President of Slovakia.
The turnout reached 61.14 percent, the second-highest since 1999, when the president was elected directly for the first time.
Current President Zuzana Čaputová's term will end on June 15.
"I won't be an uncritical admirer of the government," Pellegrini announced on Saturday night and repeated the government's position on the war in Ukraine, and that Slovakia will 'remain on the side of peace, not on the side of war'. "I will advocate for Slovakia, as its interests hold utmost importance to me," he added.
Although Pellegrini will come into office on June 15, according to the Slovak constitution, he cannot hold the post of Speaker of Parliament from the day he was elected, which in this case is Sunday, April 7 when the State Commission for Elections and Control of the Financing of Political Parties published the official results. This means, for example, that he cannot run a Parliament session and the Parliament itself.
On Monday, Pellegrini announced that both his MP mandate, and post as Speaker of Parliament, ceased on Sunday and he appointed Deputy Speaker Peter Žiga (also Hlas) to the post until a new Speaker is chosen. The coalition will hold talks about the selection process and date.
Žiga, himself a former economy and environment minister, is being prosecuted in a corruption case.
Pellegrini will also give up the post of Hlas chair and party membership. He remains the chair for the time being. The new one will be chosen by the party congress, which will take place in a few weeks.
Peter Žiga. (source: TASR)
MORE STORIES RELATED TO ELECTIONS:
How Pellegrini turned fear, alleged coup and lies into a presidential win in two weeks.
How foreign media describe the results of the presidential election in Slovakia.
By taking the presidential palace, the ruling coalition's success is complete, writes Michaela Terenzani in her Last Week in Slovakia column.
Peter Pellegrini prevailed, but not because Ivan Korčok would have been weak, opines Sme daily editor-in-chief Beata Balogová.
According to Transparency International Slovensko, Peter Pellegrini's election campaign 'was the least transparent one in recent years'; the organisation estimates that he ran a significantly more expensive campaign than he admitted to and may have exceeded the legal limit of half a million euros.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
HISTORY TALKS: The communist grocery store Zdroj or how all food stores under private ownership were consolidated into one network.
TRAVEL: A guide for an easy but still beautiful hike in the High Tatras. Vistas, forest, streams, you'll get it all here.
BRATISLAVA: The Presidential Garden is open after restoration and is approaching to its original form.
PUBLIC FINANCES: Smokers and people with a sweet tooth to pay more for their vices, consolidation of finances shows.
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FEATURE STORY FOR MONDAY
Slovakia seems to pathologise 'incorrect' speech
Illustrative photo. (source: Unsplash)
While we foreigners may be applauded for trying, mocked (politely, for the most part) for failing, or safely ignored, if you grow up here you had better get it right, writes The Slovak Spectator's James Thomson.
For a Slovak to speak his or her own language in a way that is deemed "incorrect" is to risk being treated as something close to a second-class citizen.
EVENT FOR THE COMING DAYS
Celebration of mountains
Tourists in the Poľský Hrebeň saddle. (source: Matúš Beňo)
Starting Tuesday, the 24th edition of the Hory a Mesto (Mountains and City) international film festival begins and will last until Saturday. Over five evenings in the VIVO! shopping centre, films about spelunking, climbing, mountains, huts, nature and more will be screened. Find out more here.
IN OTHER NEWS
On Monday, an extensive reconstruction of the bridge at the intersection of the D1 highway and the R1 expressway near Trnava started. The work is divided into two stages in order to minimize the impact on the flow of traffic. Construction work will also be carried out at night, seven days a week. Drivers must expect restrictions. (TASR)
The National Crime Agency (NAKA) has charged eight people in the case of the Vietnamese national who was abducted from the European Union on board a Slovak government special plane. One is a former adviser to Prime Minister Robert Fico, Quang Le Hong, who is now a Nigerian national. (Denník N)
On Saturday morning, a tragic accident occurred in the town of Spišské Podhradie, eastern Slovakia. For reasons unknown, a bus started to move and hit children standing in front of it, claiming the lives of three young people, while seven more were injured. A 15-year-old girl that was seriously injured has undergone surgery and is in a stable condition. The driver's breathalyser test was negative. The accident is currently being investigated. (TASR)
On Thursday, the European Parliament will quiz the Council and the Commission about how they intend to address the controversial reform proposals made by Robert Fico’s government.
To mark International Roma day on April 8, MEPs will evaluate on Thursday the EU's support for the preservation of the Romani language and its numerous local dialects. Although the Roma are Europe's largest ethnic minority, they suffer from structural discrimination and segregation, for example at schools.
Another World War II German anti-personnel mine was found during excavation work in connection with the tram extension near Betliarska Street in Petržalka, the largest borough in Bratislava. (source: TASR/KR PZ)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Partly cloudy, with occasional fog in the morning. Exceptionally hot, with temperatures rising to between 23 °C to 28 °C. (SHMÚ)
APRIL 9 NAME'S DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Milena
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