Slovakia’s president, Ivan Gasparovic, has been re-elected to a second term in office after defeating the first woman to reach a run-off vote.

Gasparovic won 55.5 per cent of the vote in Saturday’s election while the opposition candidate, Iveta Radicova, took 44.5 per cent, according to official results published by the national election committee.
Despite her defeat, Ms Radicova and her opposition allies were given a boost by her historic presidential bid ahead of general elections next year, analysts said.
“The election left Ivan Gasparovic and (senior coalition) Smer party as winners but it’s also a big personal victory for Iveta Radicova,” Ivan Dianiska of the Focus polling agency said.
“It’s also a partial victory for the opposition that might reach, under certain circumstances, a better result in the forthcoming general election,” he said.
Pavol Haulik, a sociologist with the MVK polling agency, said Mr. Gasparovic won because “he didn’t make any enemies during his first term”.
“He had a very good starting position together with the support of coalition parties,” he said.
During the campaign, Gasparovic was backed by two of the three governing coalition parties, while Ms Radicova had the support of three opposition parties – the Christian Democrats, the conservative KDH and ethnic-Hungarian SMK party.
“The Slovak citizens respect me and I didn’t disappoint them – that’s what decided the election,” said Gasparovic, who had campaign as a force of stability and continuity amid the global economic crisis.
Slovakia’s economy, largely dependent on exports of cars and electronic goods produced mostly by foreign manufacturers, is forecast to contract this year after growing by 10.4 per cent in 2007 and 6.4 per cent in 2008.
Ms Radicova, a 52-year-old Christian Democrat lawmaker, conceded defeat and congratulated Gasparovic.
But the former labor, social affairs and family minister let it be understood she would stay in the political arena.
“Almost one million votes – I view the support of so many people as a challenge, as a responsibility, as a new beginning,” she said.
Political analysts had said that a good showing by Ms Radicova in the run-off could put her on track to replace former prime minister and Christian Democrat SDKU party chairman, Mikulas Dzurinda, as the opposition leader in the 2010 elections.
Gasparovic won the first round of election with 46.7 percent of the votes cast, but the turnout of 44 percent was too low to allow him an outright victory.
More than 51 percent of the four million registered voters cast ballots in the runoff.
Gasparovic was first elected in 2004 when he beat the former authoritarian prime minister Vladimir Meciar.
(Source: Daily Telegraph)