Slovakia opposition wins election
March 1, 2020
The center-right Ordinary People party emerged victorious in Solvakia's general election on Saturday, with voters responding to the party's pledge to push anti-corruption reform following the death of murdered journalist Jan Kuciak.
According to final results released Sunday by the Statistics Office, the Ordinary People group secured 25% of Saturday's vote and 53 seats in the 150-seat parliament. The governing center-left Smer-Social Democracy party, led by former populist Prime Minister Robert Fico, won 18.3%, or 38 seats.
The discourse during these elections was dominated by the 2018 double murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova. Kuciak has reported on high-level corruption within the government.
The murder led to nationwide street protests, forcing Fico to resign. However, the Smer coalition remained in power, under the leadership of Peter Pellegrini.
Read more: In memory of Ján Kuciak: The immortal search for truth
An investigation into the double murder revealed communications between a businessman, politicians and other officials. The businessman is currently on trial, and has denied the charges.
lc,tg/jlw (AP, Reuters)