In Slovakia, Unlikely Presidential Candidate Signals a Backlash Against Populism
During the final debate before Saturday’s presidential election in Slovakia, the men were arguing, but the only woman onstage, Zuzana Caputova, looked on calmly.
Stefan Harabin, the former justice minister and a champion of ethnic nationalism, accused Muslim migrants of “killing and raping European women in Germany and France” and claimed his opponents wanted to destroy Slovak culture.
But Ms. Caputova did not respond to the outrage. In a political climate where stridency is often rewarded and crudeness frequently seen as a marker of authenticity, she has clung to the belief that decency is what voters want most.
And it seems to be working.
. . . .
The latest polls show Ms. Caputova with a commanding lead over all her rivals: The field has been winnowed from about a dozen candidates to five, including an avowed neo-Nazi, Marian Kotleba.
If Ms. Caputova becomes the first woman to lead this nation of 5.4 million people, she will have done so against all odds and conventional political wisdom.
“For Slovakia, this election will determine whether we follow the path toward some form of illiberal democracy,” said Aneta Vilagi, a political scientist at Comenius University in Bratislava.
“Or it could be an exceptional moment both for this country and in the region, the first big victory for a candidate promoting liberal democracy in the last four years.”
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