Election26: Political Parties Thank Voters, Express Satisfaction with Results(2)

Bratislava, 25 October (TASR) – Representatives of political parties have thanked all the voters who took part in Saturday's (24 October) combined elections. Speaking in a televised debate on TA3 on Sunday, they said that they were largely satisfied with the results. Parliamentary chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) said that the turnout in the combined elections was high, approaching 50 percent. "Voters have shown that they haven't given up on regional politics," he stated, adding that there was public interest in this level. Voice-SD was the strongest regional party, he said, expressing satisfaction that it's defended its position. The party will seek to carry this success over into national politics. MP Jan Richter (Smer-SD) said that little has changed on the political map from Smer's perspective. The party has more or less defended its position in the local elections, he said, although it believed it could have achieved a better result. Richter described Jozef Raz as the best candidate for Bratislava mayor, despite his defeat in the capital. MP Roman Michelko (SNS) said that combining local elections with elections to regional self-governing bodies was a good idea. He claimed that SNS will also have a relatively strong presence across Slovakia, although the results could have been better. Ivan Stefunko, an MP for Progressive Slovakia (PS), said that the party considered its performance in Bratislava to be a particular success. It was especially disappointed in Banska Bystrica, where its candidate Diana Javorcikova lost by a narrow margin. In Kosice, the party had focused much of its investment on Marian Porvaznik, its candidate for Kosice governor, who was unsuccessful. Stefunko added that the party has fewer winning candidates for mayor posts, but has secured many seats on local councils. When assessing the municipal elections, MP Maria Kolikova (SaS) said that it's important to consider not only the posts of mayors and regional councillors but also the composition of representative bodies. She highlighted in particular the victory of Juraj Droba as Bratislava governor. MP Roman Mikulec (Slovakia-For the People) declared on STVR's politics show 'Five Minutes to Twelve' that the 'Slovakia' party is happy with the election results, as candidates of the governing coalition have suffered a defeat. He pointed to the importance of cooperation with other opposition parties. Marian Caucik declared on TA3 that the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) has confirmed its position in the regions. He noted that Milan Majersky retained his post as Presov governor. Caucik was particularly pleased with the strong representation of KDH councillors at municipal level, with the results showing that the opposition has succeeded where it managed to unite. "We can be satisfied," said Republic leader Milan Uhrik in a TA3 debate. He highlighted the fact that, compared with the 2022 elections, the party has won considerably more mayor and councillor posts. Non-parliamentary Democrats vice-chair Juraj Seliga stated that the election campaign had been decent, good and solutions-oriented. Speaking on STVR's politics show 'Five Minutes to Twelve', he claimed that it would be wise to have fewer opposition candidates next time and more cooperation among the opposition parties. In Seliga's view, these elections are the bellwether of the governing coalition's defeat. The parliament chair noted that campaigning in regional politics was aggressive in many cases. He added that it would be a success if this level of aggression could be curbed by the time of the future national elections. NOTE: This story has been updated in paragraphs 9-10 and extended to include paragraphs 8 and 11 mf/df