BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (HPD) — The results of regional and local elections in Slovakia indicate that voters did not punish Prime Minister Eduard Heger’s coalition, despite inflation caused by rising energy prices.
The governors of six of the country’s eight provinces were re-elected, and one of the two new leaders is the son of a previous governor who ran as an independent, according to results released Sunday by the National Statistics Office.
In the other region, a candidate backed by the ruling coalition and opposition parties won, another sign that voters opted for stability.
The far right, which headed a regional government from 2013-17, won just one seat in each of two regional assemblies.
In other local elections, only one of the eight largest cities will have a new mayor, and that after the previous mayor opted not to run for re-election. In total, independent candidates won the majority of the mayoralties in Slovakia.
President Zuzana Caputova was pleased with the results.
“The people have chosen experienced and democratic candidates and, in most cases, have rejected extremism and populism,” Caputova said.