Peter Pellegrini, a populist figure, has secured the presidency of Slovakia, taking over from the liberal Zuzana Caputova.

At 48 years old, Pellegrini triumphed over the pro-Western Ivan Korcok, a former diplomat, clinching 53% of the vote.

Formerly serving as prime minister, Pellegrini aligns closely with Prime Minister Robert Fico and shares his conciliatory stance towards Russia.

Fico and his supporters now dominate Slovakia's political landscape, controlling the parliament, government, and soon, the presidency.

Slovakia had been a steadfast supporter of Ukraine until Fico's ascent to power in October, promising to cease supplying Slovak Army military supplies to Kyiv. With Pellegrini replacing Caputova, Ukraine loses a crucial advocate in a European Union and NATO capital.

Fico advocates for ending Western military aid to Ukraine, pushing for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations with Moscow. He has defended Putin against what he views as unfair demonization and warns that NATO membership for Ukraine could escalate to a global conflict.

Pellegrini's campaign echoed this Moscow-friendly rhetoric, accusing Korcok of advocating for war and potentially sending Slovak troops to fight in Ukraine, despite the presidency lacking constitutional authority over such matters.

Once Caputova steps down in June, Slovakia will lack any prominent officials who unequivocally support Kyiv's military efforts, despite its recent donation of its entire MiG-29 aircraft fleet to Ukraine.

The liberal pro-Western opposition also accuses Mr Pellegrini - as head of the coalition Hlas party and chairman of parliament - of remaining silent as Mr Fico took a wrecking ball to Slovakia's criminal justice system, notably abolishing the Special Prosecutor's Office, which was set up 20 years ago to investigate serious corruption and economic crime.

It had tried a number of senior officials in Mr Fico's Smer party, and had been overseeing the prosecution of those believed to be responsible for the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova in 2018.

The killings were a seismic event in Slovak politics. The fallout ended Mr Fico's second premiership in 2018 and led to the liberal, pro-Western Zuzana Caputova being elected president on a wave of popular anger at official corruption and organised crime.

Robert Fico's government recently set its sights on Slovakia's public broadcaster, submitting plans to abolish the institution and replace it with one under virtual state control.

Those plans were put on the back burner after a surprisingly poor showing from Peter Pellegrini in the first round of the presidential election two weeks ago.

The opposition fears a reinvigorated Robert Fico will resubmit them - and they say President-elect Pellegrini is unlikely to stand in his way.

Noted