Slovaks living abroad form their largest voting bloc in history before 2023 election

The highest number of Slovak citizens living abroad in history have expressed their interest in casting a vote in the upcoming early elections.

As many as 72,993 citizens had applied to vote from abroad by August 9, which was the registration deadline. More than 3,000 people have already voted.

Most applications were made via an application launched by the Interior Ministry as a novelty for the elections. Only 477 voters decided to apply via paper form.

The elections will take place on September 30. Slovaks abroad have to deliver their ballot to the Slovak Interior Ministry by midday on September 29.

"I believe that the significantly higher interest in voting by mail is also due to the fact that the system is simpler and because we ran a campaign," noted acting PM and Interior Minister Ľudovít Ódor.

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Applications came from 131 countries around the world. The majority were from the Czech Republic. Slovaks also registered from Madagascar, Greenland and Zimbabwe.

Ódor stressed that it does not mean that almost 73,000 registered Slovaks will actually cast their vote. In the 2020 elections, more than 55,000 voters applied to vote from abroad, but nearly 49,000 voted in the end.