Future Slovak president Peter Pellegrini. (source: TASR - Jaroslav Novák)
On Saturday, June 15, former speaker of parliament and Prime Minister Robert Fico’s ally Peter Pellegrini will officially become the new Slovak president. The formal inauguration ceremony will take place at noon in Bratislava's historical Reduta building, marking the beginning of the new president's first working day.
The inauguration day in Slovakia has several traditions, including a mass at St. Martin's Cathedral, where several Hungarian kings were once crowned, and a military parade. Each president adds something specific to the day's programme to symbolically indicate the focus of their presidential term.
"Peter Pellegrini has decided to invite pensioners and students to a ceremonial luncheon at the Presidential Palace to signify the unification of society," said the spokesperson for the newly elected president, Patrícia Medveď Macíková.
This Saturday’s inauguration will be unique as the president, for security reasons and following the shooting attack of Smer leader and PM Fico, will not mingle with the public as his predecessors did. Those wishing to see the new president can gather outside the Reduta building or the Presidential Palace.
"They should be prepared for barriers to be set up at a greater distance than usual," Macíková added.
The Presidential Palace in Bratislava. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
