Slovaks rejected a return to power of hardline nationalist former Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar in a presidential runoff vote, choosing the more moderate Mr Ivan Gasparovic as the country heads into the European Union.
The electoral committee said that preliminary official results showed Mr Gasparovic, a former political ally of Mr Meciar, took 59.91 per cent of the vote in yesterday's election.
Many Slovaks characterised the election as a choice between the lesser of two evils. The West assailed Meciar for what it viewed as his anti-democratic rule in the mid-1990s.
Elected to a five-year term, the centre-left Mr Gasparovic (63), will lead Slovakia as it heads into the European Union on May 1st along with nine other mainly post-Communist nations.
Much of Mr Gasparovic's campaign was built around criticising the current centre-right government and its reforms. He has been vague on what he would do if elected.
The president holds a largely ceremonial position but he has a crucial veto that could cause problems for the government as it tries to push through EU-inspired reforms.
Mr Gasparovic immediately pledged to try to find common ground with centre-right Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda and said he wanted Slovakia's integration into the EU to be smooth.
Mr Gasparovic will take office in mid-June from President Rudolf Schuster, who was eliminated in the first round of voting.