A JOINT press conference with three presidential candidates - philanthropist Andrej Kiska, independent MP Radoslav Procházka and former actor and Velvet Revolution leader Milan Kňažko – deviated from what had originally been planned. The two candidates who were eliminated in the first round were to publicly support Kiska at the press conference before the run-off held on March 29. However, Kňažko failed to attend, while Procházka called on voters to make their own decision, the Sme.sk website reported.
Kiska apologised for Kňažko, saying that although he could not come in person, he has already supported him in the race.
“I want to thank him for expressing his full support to me in the second round,” Kiska said, as quoted by the SITA newswire. He however did not explain why Kňažko failed to come.
In a statement provided to the TASR newswire, Kňažko said that he has already commented on all relevant issues as well as on all other candidates.
“I want to call on all people to exercise their right and participate in the democratic elections,” Kňažko wrote, as reported by TASR.
Kiska commented on the joint press conference, saying that if any of the three had made it to the second round, “society would make sure that the state would not be ruled by one party, and that the president would unite, and not polarise, the society”, as cited by TASR.
“As Mr Procházka says, I want to serve the citizens, and as Mr Kňažko says, there really is a lot at stake today,” Kiska told the press.
Procházka, however did not clearly endorse Kiska, saying he respects voters enough not to recommend whom they should vote for.
“It is important that people will choose [the candidate] on their own,” he said, as reported by SITA.
Meanwhile, Most-Híd party chair Béla Bugár publicly supported Kiska, TASR wrote.
Source: Sme.sk, SITA, TASR
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
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