Peter Pellegrini, the disciple of PM Robert Fico who likes luxury, was helped in the campaign by Hungary's state media and the coalition.
The Russian media have already mentioned peace talks in Bratislava.
Peter Pellegrini will be the next president.
Peter Pellegrini prevailed, but not because Ivan Korčok would have been weak.
The turnout in the runoff round was the second highest since 1999.