Meciar wint eerste ronde presidentsverkiezingen (en)

Slovakia's controversial ex-prime minister Vladimir Meciar has won the first round of the presidential elections gathering 32.74 percent of the vote.

The poll was widely expected to be won by the government-backed candidate, Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan.

Mr Meciar's success is a blow to the minority government of prime minister Mikulas Dzurinda - just before the country joins the EU on 1 May.

It is also likely to be an embarrassment as Mr Meciar's years in office between 1994 and 1998 were criticised by Western leaders for their lack of democracy.

Both the EU and NATO allowed Slovakia to open membership negotiations only after the former prime minister had stepped down.

However, recently Mr Meciar says he has changed and has declared his commitment to both the EU and NATO.

Now the top two candidates Mr Meciar and Ivan Gasparovic, his former political ally, will go through to the second round on 17 April.