Zuzana Čaputová (source: Ľudovít Vaniher, SITA)
Support for Zuzana Čaputová has skyrocketed after Robert Mistrík dropped out of the presidential race in her favour.
A Focus poll for the Markíza private broadcaster showed that 44.8 percent voters would vote for her in the first round. In comparison to the Focus poll published on Wednesday, which included Mistrík, her support grew by 18.5 percentage points.
“It is not only assumption that she took voters from Mistrík, there is a significant snowball effect,” said Martin Slosiarik, director of Focus, as quoted by the Sme daily.
Šefčovič or Harabin
The agency conducted the poll between February 26 and 28, with about 804 respondents. The sample is usually about 1,000 people. Slosiarik explains that the smaller sample does not misrepresent the results and they could not ask more people due to lack of time. A two-week long moratory, which forbids the publishing of polls, comes into effect on Saturday morning.
Maroš Šefčovič, with the support of Smer, took second place in the poll with 22.1 percent. Štefan Harabin finished third with 12 percent. About 8.2 percent of voters would vote for Marian Kotleba while František Mikloško gained 3.5 percent of the vote. Support for chairman of Most-Híd Belá Bugár dropped to 3.2 percent. In the middle of February, he had 5.8 percent of the vote.
Election results will depend on whether the people who claimed they would vote will really go and cast their ballots.
“Some of them may say that they will vote in the second round, when the decision will be made,” Slosiarik summed up, as quoted by Sme.
Winning the first round
AKO agency published another poll on Friday morning, March 1, which was conducted between February 27 and 28 for Čaputová’s election team on 800 respondents. The poll showed Čaputová would gain 52.9 percent of the vote, winning the presidential election in the first round.
Maroš Šefčovič would end second with 16.7 percent and Štefan Harabin third with 11.4 percent.
