Most people in Slovakia believe that Prime Minister Robert Fico will run in the presidential elections in the spring of 2014, with 25.1 percent in a recent MVK agency survey stating that he will definitely run.
Meanwhile, 34.8 percent of respondents of the poll, published on July 16, said that Fico will probably run for president. Conversely, 8.5 percent are convinced that he will not run, while 21.6 percent think that he most likely will not run. Exactly 10 percent were unable to respond, the TASR newswire reported, quoting the poll.
When asked whether Fico should remain at the helm of the government for the sake of political stability, 33.5 percent of respondents answered yes, while 36.1 percent offered a tentative yes. Moreover, 9.5 percent said absolutely not, with 15.1 percent offering a tentative no.
People were also asked whether they believe that Fico deserves to take up the presidential post now, after having been engaged in the operation of parliament and government. Only 13.2 percent agreed with this, while 21.9 percent tentatively agreed. Meanwhile, 25.1 percent completely disagreed, while 32.1 percent leaned toward disagreeing.
According to MVK, the responses to the two aforementioned questions reveal that 35.8 percent people believe Fico should remain as prime minister and not run for president. Conversely, only 4.5 percent take the opposite stance. Also, 19.8 percent would like to see Fico leave politics altogether.
MVK chief and social analyst Pavel Haulik stressed for TASR that drawing conclusions based on the poll is rather tricky, as 30 percent of people would like to see Fico remain prime minister and become president at the same time. The poll was carried out in early June on a representative sample of 1,077 respondents.
(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
