Slovakia Elections 2019: Zuzana Caputova Becomes The Country’s First Female President

Zuzana Caputova has become Slovakia first female president after winning the second round of the vote.

The 45-year-old divorcee and mother of two, who has almost no political experience, defeated high-profile diplomat Maros Sefcovic, who was nominated by the governing party.

Zuzana Caputova framed the election as a struggle between good and evil.

The election follows the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak last year.

The journalist was looking into links between politicians and organized crime when he was shot alongside his fiancée in February 2018.

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Zuzana Caputova cited Jan Kuciak’s death as one of the reasons she decided to run for president, which is a largely ceremonial role.

With almost all votes counted, Zuzana Caputova has won about 58% to Maros Sefcovic’s 42%.

Zuzana Caputova gained prominence as a lawyer, when she led a case against an illegal landfill lasting 14 years.

She is a member of the liberal Progressive Slovakia party, which has no seats in parliament.

In a country where same-sex marriage and adoption is not yet legal, Zuzana Caputova’s liberal views promote LGBTQ+ rights.

Maros Sefcovic is vice president of the European Commission.

He was nominated by the ruling Smer-SD party, which is led by Robert Fico, who was forced to resign as prime minister following the Kuciak murder.

In the first voting round, Zuzana Caputova won 40% of the vote, with Maros Sefcovic gaining less than 19%.