The last day of September is Election Day in Slovakia. More than 4 million eligible voters will decide who will represent them in the National Council of the Slovak Republic for the next four years. In the fourth part of our information series, Branislav Grman asked Eva Chmelová, Director of the Department for Elections, Referendums and Political Parties at the Ministry of the Interior, about the electoral system in Slovakia.
4th round electoral system Máte problém s prehrávaním? Nahláste nám chybu v prehrávači.
“Slovakia has a system of proportional representation. This means that political parties get as many seats in the National Council in proportion to the percentage they won in the elections.”
During elections, however, candidates who were in seemingly unelectable positions on their parties' lists can also get into the National Council. Eva Chmelova continues.
“Each voter on the ballot paper can give a maximum of four transferable votes to a given political party. The more votes a candidate receives, the higher his or her ranking will be.”
How is campaign financing regulated?
“Candidate parties finance the campaign from their transparent account. The maximum amount they can use is €3 million. Within 30 days of the election results, they must submit an expenditure report to the Audit Office.”
Eva Chmelová adds that the election campaign begins on the day the election is announced and ends 48 hours before the Election Day. But when does the election moratorium begin?
“Since this year's elections will be held on a Saturday, the moratorium starts on Wednesday and lasts until the Friday before the elections. Opinion polls can be published up to 48 hours before polling day.”
Concludes Eva Chmelova Director of the Department for Elections, Referendums and Political Parties at the Ministry of the Interior.
