Slovakia elects its first woman president, an anti-corruption liberal/progressive lawyer

Zuzana Čaputová, a pro-EU anti-corruption lawyer, has become the first female president-elect of of Slovakia.

Čaputová defeated the conservative candidate Maroš Šefčovič in the run-off presidential election. The liberal candidate received 58.4 percent of the total vote. Both were considered pro-European candidates.

Anti-corruption has emerged as a core issue in Slovakia, Romania, and in many Balkan countries. Slovakia is the smallest country in the Visegrád Group, a cultural and political alliance of four Central European states.

The election of Caputova as president is considered by more than a few observers as a victory of liberal values in a Europe under the so-called threat of populism.

Born in the capital of Bratislava, the 45-year-old married Čaputová will not only be the first woman to hold Slovakia’s presidency, but will also be the youngest president in the country’s history.

Slovakia is a country of a little over five million people.