largest number of votes is elected to office for a term of five years. In order to secure a place on the ballot, presidential candidates must be nominated by fifteen members of the National Council, or by a petition signed by 15,000 citizens. Originally, the National Council chose the president, but a 1999 amendment to the constitution established the popular election of the president by runoff voting. Popular voting for presidential elections was adopted following a prolonged impasse in 1998, in which the National Council repeatedly tried to elect a new president, but no candidate attained the three-fifths majority required by the constitution. Elections to the European parliament Slovakia is a member of the European Union since 1 May 2004 and therefore only witnessed three elections to the European Parliament since. Slovakia gets to elect thirteen members of the European Parliament, using a proportional representation system. During its 15-year membership in the European Union, Slovakia has consistently scored the lowest among the member countries in the turnout rates during European elections. In 2014, when the latest European elections took place, the turnout in Slovakia was only at 13% of registered voters. Latest elections 2019 presidential election 2020 parliamentary election Composition of the National Council since 1990 2019 European Parliament election Composition of Slovak MEPs since 2004 See also Electoral calendar Electoral system References External links All Slovak elections since 1992 - Statistical Office of Slovakia Slovak Election Data Project Adam Carr's Election Archive Parties and Elections in Europe NSD: European Election Database - Slovakia publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1990-2010 Slovakia Election Data, European Journal of Political Research-Political Data Yearbook: Interactive