Zuzana Caputova has won Slovakia’s presidential election, becoming the country’s first female head of state, reported BBC.
45-year-old Zuzana, who is also the youngest President in Slovakia’s history, has no political background or experience.
A lawyer by profession and an anti-corruption crusader, Zuzana is a member of the Liberal Progressive Slovakia party, which has no seats in the country’s Parliament.
Last year, an investigative journalist, Jan Kuciak and his fiancee were murdered in Slovakia. Zuzana played a crucial role in the anti-government protests that broke out after the murder.
She cited Jan Kuciak’s murder as one of the crucial reasons why she decided to run for the post of President.
Soon after winning the elections, she lit the candle for murdered journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova.
She gained popularity in Slovakia for crusading for a decade-long illegal landfill case. Her efforts as a civil activist led to shutting down of a toxic waste dump in Pezinok, her hometown.
Zuzana is known to have fought a positive campaign with progressive values. Her campaign used the slogan ‘Stand up to evil’.
After her historic win, she said:
“You can win without attacking your opponents. I am happy not just for the result, but mainly that it is possible not to succumb to populism, to tell the truth, to raise interest without aggressive vocabulary.”
Twitter congratulated her on this historic win.
We hope this is just the beginning of a new change in the country.