If the first round of the Slovak presidential election had been held in early July, incumbent Prime Minister Robert Fico would have emerged as the winner, with 43.6 percent of the vote, according to a poll released by the MVK poling agency on Monday, July 15. In the second round run-off, Fico would have faced off against independent (former Christian Democratic Movement [KDH]) MP Radoslav Procházka, a distant second, with 15.6 percent.
Next came Pavol Hrušovský (KDH) with 15 percent, independent former entrepreneur and founder of the Good Angel charity Andrej Kiska (11.8 percent), KDH founder Ján Čarnogurský (now independent, 11.2 percent) and Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) MP Peter Osuský (2.8 percent).
The poll was conducted between July 2 and 8 on a representative sample of 1,077 respondents, who were able to choose from a list of six potential candidates, the TASR newswire wrote. As many as 33.2 percent of the respondents said that they would not have gone to the polling stations or could not decide whom to vote for.
The Sme daily commented on the results of the poll that unlike the previous presidential election, when the rightist candidate Iveta Radičová finished with only 12 percent less than incumbent President Ivan Gašparovič, the current situation is very different: current Prime Minister Robert Fico is unbeatable as a presidential candidate, but his lead is unquestionable. The poll hinted, according to Sme, that all the four right-wing candidates might have a chance to proceed with Fico to the second round – if there is any. MVK’s sociologist Pavel Haulik points out that the first round might weaken the right’s candidates as they are pitted against each other, having to fight among themselves for the same voters.
(Source: TASR, Sme)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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