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WORLD NEWS Saturday 16 March 2019
Slovakia could get its first woman president in ballot

Associated Press which she received an in-
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) ternational environmental
— Slovakia could get its first prize in 2016. She was also
woman president as voters part of a campaign in 2017
elect a new head of state that led to the annulment
on Saturday. of pardons granted by for-
The leading contenders mer authoritarian prime
are Zuzana Caputova, an minister Vladimir Meciar.
environmental activist who She is deputy chairman of
is in favor of gay rights and "Progressive Slovakia," a
opposes a ban on abortion non-parliamentary party
in this conservative Roman that supported the massive
Catholic country, and Ma- street protests after Kuciak's
ros Sefcovic, an establish- death.
ment figure who is the Eu- Maros Sefcovic
ropean Commission Vice- A career diplomat, 52-year-
President. old Sefcovic was a mem-
In all, 13 candidates are vy- ber of the Communist Party
ing to become the coun- before the anti-Communist
try's fifth head of state A man walks past a campaign poster for Zuzana Caputova in Bratislava, Slovakia, Friday, March 1989 Velvet Revolution. Sef-
since Slovakia gained in- 15, 2019. covic accepted an offer to
dependence in 1993 after Associated Press stand from Fico's left-wing
Czechoslovakia split in two. Smer-Social Democracy
Andrej Kiska, a successful ernment corruption and THE FAVORITES known for leading a suc- party, a dominant political
businessman-turned-phi- Italian mob influence. Zuzana Caputova cessful fight against a toxic group in Slovakia in recent
lanthropist, is not standing If no single candidate wins Caputova, a 45-year-old waste dump in her home years whose reputation has
for a second five-year term a majority on Saturday, a lawyer, is a rising star of Slo- town of Pezinok near the been tarnished by corrup-
in the largely ceremonial runoff will be held on March vak politics. She became capital of Bratislava, for tion scandals.q
post. 30 in this central European
His term in office was nation of 5.4 million people.
marked by clashes with for- ____
mer prime minister Robert WHAT'S AT STAKE
Fico, considered a populist The president has the pow-
leader. er to pick the prime minis-
Kiska supported the huge ter, appoint Constitutional
street protests that led to Court judges and veto
the fall of Fico's coalition laws. Parliament can over-
government amid a po- ride the veto with a simple
litical crisis triggered by the majority, however. The gov-
slayings last year of an in- ernment, led by the prime
vestigative reporter and his minister, possesses most ex-
fiancee. The reporter, Jan ecutive powers.
Kuciak, was investigating ____
possible widespread gov-

Cyprus' finance minister to

leave post by year's end

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS amid opposition party calls
Associated Press for his dismissal and that
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — under his stewardship, the
Cyprus' finance minister Cypriot economy has re-
said Friday he'll leave the bounded strongly.
post he's held since 2013 by Anastasiades said the in-
the end of the year, insist- quiry had no real grounds
ing that the findings of an to apportion blame to
inquiry that partly blamed Georgiades for billions in
him for the demise of one bad loans that accumu-
of the country's banks had lated at the Co-operative
no bearing on his decision. Bank over the decades be-
Georgiades said it was time fore his government came
for him to move on after to power.
nearly seven years at the Georgiades, 46, was ap-
post and defended himself pointed to steer the Cypriot
against the inquiry's find- economy in the immediate
ings which he called both aftermath of a multibillion-
"mistaken and unfair." euro rescue deal that Cy-
He said he still has the full prus was forced to accept
backing of Cypriot Presi- after a banking crisis nearly
dent Nicos Anastasiades bankrupted the country.q