Iveta Radicova has won the SDKU-DS party primaries and the top spot on the party's slate for the parliamentary elections in June.

"I won't lie - there were predictions that I would fare slightly better than Ivan Miklos. I thank him for a fair contest and his promise of teamwork," said Radicova, adding that she didn't expect to gain such a big margin of victory in Banska Bystrica region.

When asked about the premiership, to which she could aspire as slate leader, Radicova replied that every political party hopes to achieve as good an election result as possible and form the next government. "I hope we'll be able to do it," she said.

Radicova doesn't think that having a woman lead the election campaign will make much of a difference. "I don't believe that there are any male and female models of politics. At any rate, I appreciate open, honest, decent and straightforward politics, and that's the politics I'll try to promote," she said.

Miklos admitted that he expected to be defeated, albeit not by such a big margin. "Well, we move on. We stand as a team, and that's the most important thing," he said, adding that, as the more experienced politician of the two, he will offer Radicova a helping hand in the political discussions to come.

SDKU chairman Mikulas Dzurinda, who by taking his name off the slate in the wake of the party's funding scandal triggered the contest between Radicova and Miklos, respects the results of the primaries. "I'm glad that we have such a tool at our disposal, and that the turnout reached around 80 percent. We feel united and full of resolution. I don't think that there's any need to speculate now as to the questions of why, who and how. The final result is all that matters," he said, adding that he would have been content whoever had won the primaries.

Economist Eugen Jurzyca is the only new face in SDKU that has managed to secure a top-ten place in the candidacy list. Slate leader Radicova is followed by Miklos, presidium member Lucia Zitnanska, vice-chairman Milan Hort and Jurzyca. MP Viliam Novotny took sixth place, followed by Bratislava Higher Territorial Unit (VUC) governor Pavol Freso, SDKU parliamentary caucus chairman Stanislav Janis, MP Martin Fedor and Central Council chairman Jozef Mikus.

(SLOVAKIA TODAY, TASR / TASR PHOTO)