A pro-western diplomat and a politician accused of promoting Russia-friendly talking points will face off in a nailbiting presidential runoff in Slovakia on Saturday, amid fears the country is sliding away from the west.
Since coming back to power late last year, Fico has pursued a foreign policy more friendly towards Moscow and begun targeting independent institutions at home, sparking anger and protests.
The government’s critics say the election is key because the future office holder can act as a check on Fico and stem the tide of democratic backsliding.
“What is at stake is the future of our democracy,” said Ľubica Karvašová, a candidate in the European parliament elections who is running on the opposition Progressive Slovakia’s list.
Korčok, who previously served as Slovakia’s ambassador in Washington and Brussels and has been campaigning on a pro-western platform, scored a surprise victory in the first round of the presidential race last month.
“We see that Ivan Korčok, after winning the first round, he has become the sole person a lot of disinformation and smear campaigns are targeted against,” said Katarína Klingová, a senior research fellow at theGlobsec thinktank.
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