Slovakia gets first female president: Zuzana Čaputova wins second round

SARAJEVO, (Patria) -  Slovakia has got its first female president, after liberal lawyer Zuzana Čaputova won yesterday's presidential election.

Contrary to the trend of strengthening populist and anti-European politicians across the continent, the 45-year-old Čaputova rode a wave of public discontent over corruption to victory in the second round, winning 58.3 percent of the vote after more than 98 percent of polling stations were counted.

Her opponent was independent candidate Maroš Šefčovič, the 52-year-old Vice President of the European Commission, backed by the ruling party Smer-SD (left-wing populists). Šefčovič received 41.7 percent of the vote.

Changes in Slovakia began in February 2018, following mass protests over the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak.

The new president took part in those protests, which put the then-government in an awkward position and sparked a serious political crisis in the country of 5.4 million people, a member of the European Union and NATO.

Lawyer and environmental activist Čaputova is a member of Progressive Slovakia, which she promised to leave if elected to the presidency, and was supported by opposition parties, a smaller party in the ruling coalition representing the Hungarian minority, and outgoing President Andrej Kiska.