Marián Porvažník, a 38-year-old lawyer and entrepreneur, is running as an opposition candidate for the governor of the Košice region. With a background in law from Oxford and economics from Bratislava, he previously founded and led the IT company Vacuum Group. In a recent interview, Porvažník addressed his strategy to defeat the current governor, Rastislava Trnka. He explicitly accused Trnka of misusing the regional budget for political gain. Porvažník also discussed his efforts to secure support from other opposition candidates. He expressed a desire to be accepted as a local by the residents of eastern Slovakia. The candidate aims to bring professional innovation to the region's administration. He is positioning himself as a strong alternative to the incumbent leadership.