Pellegrini Vows To Navigate Divided Slovakia Out Of Turbulence

Bratislava, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Apr, 2024) Peter Pellegrini, the former Slovakia prime minister who became its president on Saturday, is a fanatic of planes, trains and cars as well as an ally of the Russia-friendly government.

Backed by populist Prime Minister Robert Fico, the 48-year-old parliament speaker pledged to "unite a divided Slovakia" during an electoral campaign dominated by the Ukraine war.

He told AFP the European Union and NATO state was "divided between those who are in favour of the continuation of the war (between Russia and Ukraine) at all costs, and those who demand the start of peace negotiations.

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"I belong to the latter," said Pellegrini, known as "Pelle" to his friends.

Educated in finance, he joined Fico's populist Smer-SD party and went on to serve in his ally's previous governments, before succeeding him as prime minister.

Pellegrini founded his own Hlas-SD party in 2020.

The leftist party came third in last year's general election and joined the government coalition with Smer-SD and the small far-right SNS.