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Gasparovic re-elected as Slovak president
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Gasparovic re-elected as Slovak president
AFP - Sunday, April 5
BRATISLAVA (AFP) - - Ivan Gasparovic was declared the winner of Slovakia's runoff presidential election, taking 55.5 percent of the vote to clinch a second term in office.
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His challenger, opposition candidate Iveta Radicova, received 44.5 percent of the votes cast in Saturday's election, according to final results published by the statistics office.
The turnout exceeded 51 percent of more than four million registered voters.
Official results were expected to be confirmed by the national election committee later Sunday.
"The Slovak citizens respect me and I didn't disappoint them -- that's what decided the election," said Gasparovic, who presented himself during the campaign as a guarantee 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 percent in 2007 and 6.4 percent in 2008.
"I am thankful to all the people and I promise I will always work for them," the 68-year-old lawyer added, with the wife Silvia standing by his side.
The re-elected president celebrated his victory with traditional Slovak music, and he was congratulated by Socialist Prime Minister Robert Fico, who gave him his full support during the campaign.
Radicova, a 52-year-old Christian Democrat lawmaker, conceded defeat and congratulated Gasparovic.
But the former labour, social affairs and family minister let it be understood she'll 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 before she was interrupted by applause that lasted several minutes.
During the night, the atmosphere in her election centre was friendly with her supporters including opposition politicians, popular actors, musicians and athletes stopping by to shake hands with her, many of them bringing flowers.
Gasparovic, a veteran political figure, 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.
The role of the president is mostly ceremonial in this parliamentary democracy that was established in 1993 after the fall of communism and the breakup of Czechoslovakia.
In the final days the election campaign centred around nationalist issues The country is home to two large minorities: Romas in the east, and Hungarians in the south.
Radicova won several southern regions inhabited mostly by the Hungarian minority who make up 10 percent of the population.
During the election campaign, Gasparovic was backed by two of the three governing coalition parties, while Radicova had the support of three opposition parties -- the Christian Democrats, the conservative KDH and ethnic-Hungarian SMK party.
Political analysts have said that a good showing by Radicova in the runoff 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 general election.
In 2004, Gasparovic was elected in the second round of the election by a majority of 59.91 percent of the votes, beating the former authoritarian prime minister Vladimir Meciar who had won the first round.
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