Zuzana Čaputová, one of the founding members and the Deputy Chairman of Progressive Slovakia, has won the first round of the Slovakia presidential election that took place on 16 March.

Čaputová gained a total of 870,415 votes, which represents 40.6% of the votes cast. Her closest competitor and contender on the second round, Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President of the European Commission, got 18.7% of the vote, followed by Štefan Harabin with 14.4% of the vote.

"I see a strong call for change in this election following the tragic events last spring," Čaputová told reporters. "We stand on a crossroads between the loss and renewal of public trust."

Endorsed by the outgoing President Andrej Kiska, Čaputová is on the brink on making history: if she wins the election, she will become the first female president of Slovakia. Her victory is also one of the many positive signs of the growing liberal forces in Slovakia.

The second election round between Čaputová and Šefčovič will take place on 30 March.