GEOCITIZEN'S UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO SLOVAK POLITICS / by Miro Sedivy

GUGSP
© 1997, 98
Miro Sedivy
GUGSP News:
FRIDAY 24 April 1998


  • The referendum in a central-Slovakian town Rimavska Sobota is held today. The citizens are voting for or against the construction of a prison in this town.

  • The Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) had a meeting in Kosice (the second Slovakia town in the Eastern part) today. Although the organizers promised a large screen on a frequent street with the direct transmission from the meeting in the sport hall, there was no such screen, and also the interest of the citizens in the meeting was rather low. About two thousand older people welcomed the Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar, who told them, that Kosice was the "cradle of HZDS." He promised that he would leave the politics in the case HZDS looses the elections, but "we have to win, we do not have any other alternative."
    HZDS will have its general session during this weekend in Kosice, and they will also elect the leader (who else than V.M.) and vice-chairs (two remain, two will be changed).

  • According to the SITA agency, the Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar said, that "there are no such mistakes in Slovakia, for which we would have to be responsible as an undemocratic country. Even I would tell, that the democracy in Slovakia is even more stable than in the Czech republic, which is evaluated better."

  • The yesterday's open letter to the Prime Minister and to the deputies, sent by nine Slovak bishops, got quite many positive and negative reactions. Six rectors of the universities in Bratislava and nearby towns fully supported this very important letter and challenged also his colleagues to protest against the non-democratic steps, manipulation of the public opinion, and bad political and social situation in the country.

  • The Hungarian Coalition continues in its discussions about the new leader of the coalition, and other structural issues. It was said the new leader would be from the Coexistence party, but the representatives of this party would like to get more top places in this coalition. The leader of the Magyar Christian-Democratic Movement Bela Bugar believes it wouldn't be the reason for which his movement would have to go into the elections alone. The dialogues will continue next week by the preparation of the candidates lists.

  • The Slovak National Party collected 54,000 signatures under its petition for neutrality of the Slovak Republic and the re-establishment of the capital punishment.

  • According to the deputy for the Party of Democratic Left Robert Fico, "the Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar is traveling around Slovakia as Santa Claus, with a big bag of fundamental stones for highways construction, so that the whole country has impression, that everywhere new highways are constructed." Robert Fico criticized the huge projects, which even cannot be financed by the state and the Prime Minister has to issue bonds that "the citizens could buy also from their money they did not pay tax from", as Vladimir Meciar said.

  • The Greenpeace's protest activity against the nuclear power plant in Mochovce began today. The international institutions will perform complex check in two weeks.

  • According to the Council of the Slovak (state) TV, the TV News of this Slovak TV are the most professional and the most objective from all three TVs in Slovakia: STV, VTV and Markiza.