https://www.dw.com/en/slovakia-ukraine-skeptic-pellegrini-wins-presidential-race/a-68755514 The President of Slovakia is a largely ceremonial post, but it does have some powers of appointment, etc. The Prime Minister is more powerful as the executive of the government. The PM is Robert Fico, who heads up a related party, and who has the same views on Ukraine.
Why do some places have both a President and a Prime Minister spot to run their country? They should only have one head of state. It's how these crooks sneak into power, and before you know it, the country is a dictatorship. That's how Putin did it. He sat in a meaningless Presidential position in Russia for years until his goons could overwrite the system so he could run again legally and into power he went.
The President is the Head of State of Slovakia. So if King Charles III dies, Pelligrini has to go to the funeral. If PM Sunak dies, PM Fico has to attend. In constitutional monarchies, the monarch is head of state, but the prime minister runs the country. In European democracies, it is common to have a weak president as head of state, but the prime minister runs the country. Germany, Italy, and Poland for example.
They DO only have one head of state - the President. The PM is the head of Government. Not the same thing. Given how common this is I am struggling with the idea that this is somehow difficult to understand. Most democracies have a head of state and head of government - constitutional monarchies have a monarch, Republics have a President as head of state. The legislature then forms government separate of that. It is VERY common. Democratic nations where head of State and Head of Government are the same thing are very much in the minority. It is basic separation of powers and it works just fine if set up properly. As for Putin, if you think the reason he has clung on to power is anything to do with Russia having a President & a PM then you have not remotely paid attention to how his rule has unfolded. He was already in near complete control of the state when he moved from President to PM, which is why he was prepared to do it. He would have retained control and stayed in power no matter what the notional structure of Russia's government.
Ukraine-sceptic, PM Fico ally Pellegrini wins Slovakia presidential election https://www.france24.com/en/europe/...ellegrini-wins-slovakia-presidential-election
