THE MOST probable opponents for Prime Minister Robert Fico in the run-off of the upcoming presidential race are independent candidates Andrej Kiska and Milan Kňažko, a poll concluded.
The latest opinion poll conducted by the Focus polling agency in January 2014 showed that Fico’s support stood at 40 percent. To win the election in March 15’s first round, Fico would have to garner over 50 percent of the vote.
In the Focus poll, Fico is followed by Kiska who had 13 percent support and Kňažko with 11.8 percent. Candidate of the People’s Platform, prominent member of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) Pavol Hrušovský polled 8.2 percent, and his former party colleague, now independent candidate Radoslav Procházka, got 7.7 percent of the votes in the poll.
“The survey shows that in the first round every single vote will matter,” Focus analyst Martin Slosiarik told the Sme daily.
“Their support is very balanced and none of them has stable voters,” Slosiarik told Sme and explained that for instance Kňažko’s supporters can easily jump to Kiska during the campaign and everything will depend on the candidates’ ability to address voters in the field.
The surprise of the poll is 5.5 percent of the votes for independent candidate and MP Jana Mezenská. She is followed by the Hungarian Community Party (SMK) candidate Gyula Bárdos with 5.3 percent and independent candidate, another former prominent KDH member, Ján Čarnogurský.
Other candidates running in the race received less than 2 percent in the poll.
Source: Sme
Compiled by Michaela Terenzani from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
