Ten candidates will vie for the presidency of
Slovakia on March 15. Along with the four major candidates highlighted below, the candidates are SDK deputy Juraj Švec, former HZDS member and diplomat Ivan Mjartan, Communist Party nominee Juraj Lazarčík, chairman of the opposition far-right Slovak National Party Ján Slota, independent candidate and philosopher Boris Zala and businessman Ján Demikát.. The final eligibity of each of the candidates will be determined by Parliamentary Speaker Jozef Migaš by April 16.
Rudolf Schusterphoto: Courtesy of SOP
Rudolf Schuster is a parliamentary deputy for the Party of Civic Reconciliation (SOP) he founded and is the official candidate of the four-party ruling coalition. The Christian Democrat (KDH) faction of the largest coalition party, however, has openly stated that Schuster is an unacceptable candidate due to his active communist past. Schuster is also a mayor of the eastern Slovak city of Košice.
Michal Kováčphoto: Slavomír Danko
Michal Kováč was the former Slovak President from 1993 to 1998 and was a strong political opponent of the government of then-Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar. Kováč is an independent candidate, nominated by 24,000 citizens who signed his candidacy petition. He also has the unofficial support of the Christian Democrats (KDH).
Vladimír Mečiarphoto: Courtesy of HZDS
Vladimír Mečiar was the primary political figure at the founding of the Slovak Republic in 1993 and has since formed three governments, two of which had had to resign after being given a vote of no-confidence by the parliament. In September 1998, Mečiar's HZDS party won the national elections with 27% of support, but failed to form the government and then became the largest opposition party. Mečiar's latest government (1994-1998) was blamed by foreign and domestic politicians for violating democratic principles, which helped exclude Slovakia from both NATO and the EU entry vanguards.
Magda Vášáryová.photo: TASR
Magda Vášáryováis a former theatre and film actress who was Czechoslovak Ambassador to Austria in 1991-1992. After returning to Slovakia, Vášáryová founded an independent think tank called the Slovak Foreign Policy Association, over which she has presided since then. Vášáryová was nominated by a civic association with a petition containing 24,000 signatures.
