Good evening. Here is the Monday, March 25 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Korčok and Pellegrini starting talks with failed candidates
Peter Pellegrini (left) and Ivan Korčok (right) will meet in a run-off round of the presidential election on April 6. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
Former diplomat and ex-foreign minister Ivan Korčok won the first round of the presidential election with 42.51 percent of votes, followed by Speaker of Parliament and Hlas party leader Peter Pellegrini with 37.05 percent.
Pro-Russian candidate and former judge Štefan Harabin came in third.
With 2,254,206 valid votes, the turnout was 51.91 percent, the highest since the 1999 election when 73.8 and 75.4 percent of voters voted in the first and second rounds, respectively. The highest turnout of 61.37 percent was in the Bratislava Region, the lowest of 44.14 percent in the Košice Region.
Pellegrini succeeded in the electoral strongholds of his party in eastern and central Slovakia, as well as in the traditional bastions of Smer in the regions of Kysuce, Upper Považie and Upper Nitra.
Korčok won in all of the regional towns, western as well as parts of northern and eastern Slovakia. Christian voters in the Orava region and in the districts of Kežmarok and Levoča also voted for him.
The second round is slated for April 6 and expected to be a very close one. Both presidential hopefuls have already said that they want to meet with the failed candidates, with Pellegrini already meeting some on Monday. The person Hungarian voters pick might be a very important and deciding factor.
According to a new survey for private TV JOJ, 44 percent of people who did not vote on March 23 have decided to do the same in the second round. The survey also shows that Ivan Korčok has the highest chance of gaining the support of non-voters.
Candidates can campaign ahead of the second round until midnight on Wednesday, April 3.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
LAST WEEK: The stakes remain high in this presidential election; what to expect from the Korčok vs. Pellegrini duel.
OPINION: This presidential election is a referendum on Fico's rule.
ELECTION: Slovaks living abroad with unexpected problems during Saturday election.
WORLD MEDIA ON ELECTION: Korčok's surprising win and Fico's hanger-on heads for second round.
HEADS OF STATE: Slovakia's best and worst presidents ranked.
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FEATURE STORY FOR MONDAY
Who poured millions of euros into Slovak wine?
Rich people, oligarchs and ex-politicians invested in wineries. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
In this overview, you will find 11 businesses from entrepreneurs who, though originally from a different kind of business, entered wine-making. More than once, not only did they have enough money of their own, but the state helped them as well.
EVENT FOR THURSDAY
Celebrate Piano Day in Petržalka
Illustratory image. (source: TASR)
This year's Piano Day will take place on March 28. On this occasion, a special "piano walk" will be held in Bratislava's Petržalka borough, with five consecutive live concerts taking place in five venues.
The event will start at 16:30 at the CC Centrum venue, then it will move to Veľký Draždiak - Šutrovka lake, followed by the Zrkadlový Háj and Lúky culture houses. The final concert will take place at the Evangelical Church. For the three concerts taking place in culture houses, the admission is €6 for each, or €14 for a season ticket. Click here for more details.
IN OTHER NEWS
The Defence Ministry should make a decision regarding the procurement of air-defence systems in the next few weeks. When it comes to mid-range anti-aircraft missile systems, the ministry is considering either the US-Norwegian NASAMS, or the Korean PVO, or the Israeli Barak systems. The Italian SAMP/T Mamba system currently protecting Slovak airspace is due to be withdrawn from Slovakia in early April. (TASR)
Due to modifications of the rail infrastructure in the Slovak-Hungarian border area of Košice-Hidasnémeti, passengers of Eurocity trains between Košice and Budapest are facing temporary restrictions on March 25 and 26. This concerns six EC Hornád trains in both directions. The restriction lasts for five hours on both days, roughly from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM. The replacement bus service from Košice to Hidasnémeti leaves in front of the railway station. (TASR)
On Monday, the Belga news agency reported that a Belgian court of inquiry postponed its decision, on whether to transfer the case of the defendants involved in the death of Slovak national Jozef Chovanec in Belgium in 2018, to a criminal court to June 3. In reaction, the Slovak Justice Ministry said that it will 'consider further steps' and more details will be provided after consultations with parties involved. (TASR)
Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová dismissed the Bibiana International House of Art for Children director Zuzana Liptáková and the Slovak National Library general director Katarína Krištofová. In the case of the former, the minister did not give a reason, with the former the reason being 'insufficient security of the institution against cyber attacks, insufficient protection of intangible cultural heritage and misconduct in managerial activities'. (TASR)
Part of the exhibition Trópy v Turci (Tropics in the Turiec region) - exotic orchids in Martin, northern Slovakia. The exhibition is open until April 7. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Partly cloudy, occasionally overcast. Fog may appear in the morning. Daily temperature between 9 °C to 15 °C, with 17 °C in the southwestern part of the country. Windy, with level 1 wind warning issued for several districts, see map. (SHMÚ)
MARCH 26 NAME'S DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Emanuel
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