Update: The moratorium has been extended until 22:30 due to the opening of the polling station in Norovce, Nitra Region, half an hour later.
Polling stations have opened as voting begins in the first round of Slovakia’s presidential election.
Slovak people will be deciding on who will replace President Zuzana Čaputová in June. Čaputová announced last June that she wouldn’t seek reelection.
People can vote until 22:00. The moratorium will end at this hour unless unexpected incidents occur in the country.
If none of the nine candidates receive a majority of valid votes, the two candidates with the highest number of votes will proceed to the second round, scheduled for April 6.
Speaker of Parliament and Hlas party leader Peter Pellegrini, supported by the major ruling party Smer, and former foreign minister and diplomat Ivan Korčok, a non-partisan candidate supported by most of the opposition parties, have maintained their substantial leads over other candidates. They both are expected to meet in a post-Easter run-off.
However, Pellegrini remains a favourite.
Every Slovak citizen who has reached the age of 18 on the day of the elections can vote for the president. Voting is only possible on Slovak territory though.