President-elect Pellegrini Visits TASR for Official Presidential Portrait

Bratislava, April 23 (TASR) - President-elect Peter Pellegrini had his presidential portrait taken at the News Agency of the Slovak Republic (TASR) on Tuesday by head of TASR photo desk Michal Svitok. In this task, Svitok replaced previous presidential photographer Pavol Neubauer, who provided assistance during the photoshoot. "It's, of course, a pleasant duty but also a rather strange feeling when you realise that, as a future president, you're creating a photo portrait that will probably hang in all schools and state offices," said Pellegrini. The president-elect wanted the photograph to exude patriotic pride, which is why he praised the inclusion of a state flag in the frame as a novelty instead of just white background. He added that if the photo turns out well, this presidential portrait will be completely different from all the previous ones. In terms of his preparations for becoming the head of state, Pellegrini is already considering his choices of presidential aides. "I've already had a working and friendly meeting with Ms. President and the head of the President's Office, where we already agreed on technicalities on how to prepare for June 15 [the date of inauguration -ed.note]," said Pellegrini, who believes that his transition to the post of president will be easier than in some earlier cases when political novices were elected presidents in the past. The president-elect praised the friendly climate and staff of TASR. "I'm glad that I respected the tradition of having TASR make the portrait, I think it's the right way to do it. On the other hand, the experience reminded me even more of the great commitment I'm bearing on my shoulders," he noted. According to seasoned photographer of presidential portraits Pavol Neubauer, the photoshoot went smoothly. "Mr. President was forthcoming, he adjusted to us and we to him, without any problems," said Neubauer, who liked the positive approach by the incoming head of state. Michal Svitok, the portrait author, conceded he had felt a great sense of responsibility in his presidential portrait debut. "It was new also by the decision to take a different type of portrait. It wasn't the classic one with white background," claimed Svitok. He pointed out that the photoshoot was preceded by hours of preparations and thanked his predecessor for help. mf/mcs