Slovene centre-right MEP Eduard Kukan told the Parliament that "violence was being used as a tool of terror" in the country.

BBC: MEPs condemn human rights violations in Iran and Egpyt

But for domestic political calculations, Slovakia's fragile centre-right coalition government might quietly have preferred a Meciar victory, once its own candidate, Eduard Kukan, had lost in the first round.

ECONOMIST: An upset winner of Slovakia's presidency