GUGSP
© 1997, 98
Miro Sedivy |
GUGSP News Archive: 16 Mar - 22 Mar 1998
A summary of the most important events in the Slovak politics in the 12th week of the year 1998.
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WEEK 13
MONDAY 16 Mar 1998
In the regular Sunday discussion program of the Slovak TV, the law-expert of HZDS Jan Cuper said, that the aim of the novelization of the Electoral Law was to avoid the entrance of small parties into Parliament, which will definitively stabilize the political situation. Cuper also accused the opposition of the intentions to invite foreign observers to control and organize the elections. According to the Democratic Union (opposition) deputy Roman Kovac, the law is violating the Constitution, when it does not allow the imprisoned people to vote, and also, the impartial and independent candidates (over 95% of citizens of Slovakia are members of no political party) cannot run in the elections, because of three paragraphs: "every party in the coalition must reach 5% in order to enter into Parliament", "all candidates on a party vote ticket must be members of this party" and "if there are candidates non-members of the party, such a ticket is supposed a coalition ticket"...
Vladimir Meciar went to Kosice, to visit the Slovakia's biggest factory Eastern-Slovakia Ironworks (VSZ). He declared, that "Slovakia could have a new President within 24 hours", if the opposition accepted the novelization about the presidential elections. The proposals of several coalition deputies are that it would be enough to get 76 votes in the second round, if the president is not elected in the first round by 90 deputies. Currently, there are always 90 deputies needed to elect a new President, but it's almost impossible to collect 90 deputies in this Parliament to elect a new President. The coalition wants to persuade the opposition to vote for the new law (90 votes are needed for this law), which would make the coalition able to vote the President itself... (???) The coalition will propose such law on next session.
On Saturday, it was the 59th anniversary of the formation of the Slovak republic in 1939. There were several meetings celebrating this state controlled by Nazis, where even several representatives of HZDS and the Slovak National Party participated. The opinions to this war-state are different, but still many people suppose it the first step of the Slovak nation to have its own state.
The Slovak Ambassador to the Czech republic Ivan Mjartan asked the Slovak Foreign Ministry to recall him on 15 June, and he would like to enter the elections in the Meciar's HZDS probably.
According to the former Interior Minister Ladislav Pittner (Christian-Democratic Movement), the Czech Intelligence Service had to exchange several compromising materials with the Slovak Intelligence Service last year. Both sides needed documents against the opposition representatives of both Prime Ministers: Vaclav Klaus (resigned last November) and Vladimir Meciar.
The Social Affairs Minister Vojtech Tkac declared, that the pensions would increase by 8% since 01 July 1998.
Two news concerning mass media: The most popular private TV Markiza already broadcasts in the Northern Slovakia, in the region of Zilina. After the last-month's expansion of Radio Twist to the East, this will be probably next reason of "fears" of the governmental coalition, which does not support such private and independent mass media too much in such regions, far from Bratislava.
The private car of Eugen Korda, the Bratislava reporter of the most popular Czech TV Nova has been partly destroyed last night. It's already the third destroyed private car of journalists in Slovakia...
Two popular Slovak personalities deceased during past few days. On Thursday, Jozef Kroner died at the age of 74. Jozef Kroner was probably the most famous Slovak actor, who starred in the first Czechoslovak film awarded by Oscar: "Obchod na korze" (Shop on the main street).
On Sunday morning, the president of the Slovak Ice-Hockey Association, Dusan Pasek, aged 37, has been found dead in his office. Dusan Pasek, who represented Czechoslovakia 108-times, and won the world championship in 1985, has committed suicide. There were several letters found, in which Dusan Pasek excused to his family, and explained his last step as a consequence of personal failures...
TUESDAY 17 Mar 1998
The Slovak National Party (SNS) is seriously thinking of a modification of the Constitution, which would allow only 76 deputies (instead of 90) to elect a new President in the second scrutiny, if the first one is unsuccessful. Rastislav Septak (SNS) supposes such novelization of the Constitution as a very positive step toward the opposition. If there were 90 deputies (3/5 of the Parliament) needed until now to elect a new President, the Meciar's HZDS with 61 deputies could stop any candidate (150 - 61 = 89) of the opposition. "This would cause, that HZDS won't be guilty for a non-election of a new President in the future", Septak said. However, Rastislav Septak confessed, that Vladimir Meciar would already have certainly 90 votes in the Parliament.
The other coalition party Association of the Slovak Workers (ZRS) still doesn't know whether it's OK to change the Constitution in this way (only 76 votes are enough to elect a new President), but they would prefer a new President with 90 or even 100 support votes in the Parliament.
According to Milan Knazko (deputy of the opposition Democratic Union), the current Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar wants to become the President for any price. "His presidential activites would harm seriously the Slovak republic's interests abroad", Knazko said, and emphasized, that the opposition still wanted direct presidential election, if 90 deputies cannot elect a new President.
The Party of the Democratic Left (SDL) supposes the prepared steps of the Slovak National Party quite simple, but also one of the ways the coalition itself could elect really anyone. "If the President is not elected on Thursday (the second scrutiny of the second round), we want direct elections."
As it's almost sure, that the President won't be elected in the second round on Thursday, the chairman of the National Council Ivan Gasparovic declared the third round for the 16 April 1998. According to Gasparovic, the June Parliamentary session would be probably the last.
The spokesman of HZDS Vladimir Hagara declared, that HZDS will never allow any form of autonomy in the Slovak Republic.
The Slovak government met today on its regular session. The ministers (today not led by the Prime Minister) accepted the novelization of the Electoral Law, which will be proposed in the Parliament at its next session.
The spokesman of the Slovak Democratic Coalition Mikulas Dzurinda met the members of the European People Party in Prague. The main discussion points of this meeting was the future of several Central-European countries and wishes the Czech government was stable, the Polish government was successful and the Slovak government was democratic. According to Dzurinda, it's necessary for the representatives of the governmental coalition to see the map of Europe: "Isolation by the Slovak National Party is not fortune, it's a grave for the Slovak Republic", Dzurinda commented the current efforts of the Slovak National Party, which already answered to Dzurinda's statements by words, that "SNS watches the European map very well, and really wants all the best to Slovakia and its citizens."
The State Secretary of the Foreign Ministry of the Slovak Republic J. Sestak went to Moscow these days. He met several state representatives, and celebrated the opening of a new Slovak business center in Moscow, along with a new subway station. Sestak also arranged visits of the Slovak Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar to Moscow and of the Russian Foreign Minister Eugen Primakov to Bratislava before the end of June.
The Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) strongly refused the last-week's statements of the former Interior Minister Ladislav Pittner (KDH), who accused the SIS of exchanging some compromising materials with the Czech Intelligence Service. Pittner thought, that both sides needed such materials against the opposition of the respective Prime Ministers - Vaclav Klaus and Vladimir Meciar. The Christian-Democratic Movement (KDH) decided not to react to SIS's statements, which were "full of insults".
The Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK) and the Hungarian Coalition want to initiate a petition for the referendum for direct presidential elections. The Party of the Democratic Left (SDL) would prefer to initiate discussions in the Parliament about the direct presidential election. Mikulas Dzurinda the spokesman of the Slovak Democratic Coalition is not against the SDL's activities, "there will be more action, at least, although it will be almost impossible to persuade the coalition deputies".
The Slovak Democratic Coalition still did not decide about how to enter the September elections, whether as a double coalition KDH/DU, or as a party SDK.
The Magyar Coalition criticized the governmental coalition for their steps against the minorities, when two directors of Hungarian-language schools have been recalled without any serious reason.
According to the news of the private TV Markiza, the "Prva Novinova Spolocnost" (First Newspaper Company), distributing most of the newspapers, has bought new machines for about 160 million SK (~5 mil. USD) just a few weeks before it has been privatized by Danubiaprint, a company very near to HZDS.
WEDNESDAY 18 Mar 1998
The Russian President's spokesman Sergej Jastrzembskij (sorry for the spelling) declared, that it was very important to Russia to support the current Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Vladimir Meciar. The vice-chair of Meciar's HZDS Augustin Marian Huska said for Radio Twist, that Slovakia was sovereign and independent state, and even if it wanted to enter into Russian market, it wouldn't accept any "rusophilian" relations.
The Slovak Foreign Minister Zdenka Kramplova met today the Ambassadors of the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Austria to Slovakia. She explained them the Slovakia's attitude to the last-week's decisions of the European Parliament. She also defended the steps of the Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar after he took the power of the President, mainly the controversy amnesty, which was said "not against the Constitution" by the Slovak government.
On regular Monday's governmental coalition discussions between Vladimir Meciar (HZDS), Jan Slota (Slovak National Party) and Jan Luptak (Association of the Slovak Workers), they declared, that they accepted the EU's decision, and that "they wouldn't send a demarche" back to EU... (???)
The recent events in the Slovak Republic, mainly in relations with Meciar's steps rather modified the standing of the country on international markets. According to several unofficial information, the international rating decreased by two points, which would put Slovakia among "risk" countries.
The former Finance Minister Sergej Kozlik (HZDS) said, that it was not true, that there were still no official standings of serious international institutions.
The world's famous Slovak opera singer Peter Dvorsky entered the high politics. He joined into the new-formed Party of Civil Understanding (SOP), led by Rudolf Schuster. SOP currently reaches 11-15% of popularity, which makes it the third most popular political subject (see new results).
The Constitutional Court celebrated 5th anniversary of its successful activity. According to its chairman Milan Cic, these five years have been very successful, and nobody can say the Constitutional Court wasn't accurate and independent.
The chairman of the Parliament Ivan Gasparovic said, that it was still OK if the Constitutional Court had declared only 13 laws as violating the Constitution. "If there were hundreds of correct laws, it's still OK...", Gasparovic said.
According to Brigita Schmognerova from Party of the Democratic Left (SDL), this party will propose its candidate also for the third round of the Presidential Election, as it's almost sure the Parliament does not elect a new President tomorrow in the second scrutiny of the second round.
The leader of the opposition Social-Democratic Party in Slovakia (SDSS) Jaroslav Volf sent a letter to the Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar. Volf requests him to answer all his previous mails, which have not been answered by Vladimir Meciar. Volf is even thinking of asking the Constitutional Courts about his right to be informed by the Prime Minister.
THURSDAY 19 Mar 1998
Seventeen days after Michal Kovac left his presidential office, the small country in the heart of Europe will remain without its head for another month... The Parliament already had to elect a new President, but neither the first, nor the second round presented the right person. Two weeks ago, the Parliament did not elect a new President in the second round. According to the law, the Parliament met against today to decide about the new head of state. Two candidates from the first scrutiny of the second round Ladislav Ballek and Milan Fogas were automatically proposed in the second scrutiny.
Milan Fogas, a 36 year-old railway worker decided not to continue, since he got just 5 votes in the first scrutiny. Nevertheless, Ladislav Baller, the writer proposed by the Party of the Democratic Left continued also in the second scrutiny. It was almost sure the coalition won't vote for him... and it didn't. There were 120 correct votes presented by deputies (150 deputies in the Parliament). Fifty deputies voted for, 67 voted against and three deputies did not vote. This means, that Ladislav Ballek did not reach the necessary 3/5 of the Parliament (90 votes) and cannot be proposed against...
The chairman of the National Council Ivan Gasparovic decided that the third round will be held on 16th April.
The 45th parliamentary session begins on 24th March and will have about 50 points, Ivan Gasparovic declared.
It seems the Association of Slovak Workers (ZRS) would like to propose Jozef Kalman for the third round of Presidential Election. Jozef Kalman (from ZRS) is the vice-chair of the Slovak government for the European Integration. It's still not sure, as the coalition parties did not discuss this issue.
Dusan Macuska (HZDS) said it was very important to consider the presidential election with responsibility. Marian Andel (Slovak National Party) would like to support Kalman, and also emphasized, how important it was to elect a new President, because "it's mainly because of the opposition, that Slovakia has a bad image abroad."
Ths Party of Democratic Left will decide in this issue on Saturday.
Accorrding to the deputy Ludovit Cernak (Democratic Union), Meciar's HZDS spends too much money on its regional structures. HZDS receives from the state 15 million SK (~500,000 USD) a year, but it seems it's spending over 40 million SK. Dusan Macuska (HZDS) refused such statements, and said, that "people work more with enthusiasm than for money."
The HZDS spokesman Vladimir Hagara added, that the new representative building of HZDS in Bratislava is the propriety of Eastern-Slovakia Ironworks, and HZDS just loaned it...
According to the State Secretary for the Foreign Ministry Jozef Sestak, the nearing visit of Vladimir Meciar to Moscow, will be extremely important for the future of the country...
It's very probable Bratislava will get its own "metro" (subway, underground, unterstrassebahn...) soon. The cooperation between the state, city and one French company has been signed recently. The construction of this light metro should begin still before this autumn elections, and the first section should be opened for public within six years.
FRIDAY 20 Mar 1998
The Interior Ministry registered the 89th political subject in Slovakia - "Strana Madarskej Koalicie" (Party of the Hungarian Coalition). This was the answer of the Hungarian Coalition to the novelization of the Electoral Law, which does not allow the coalitions of smaller parties to enter the Parliament. There are currently 67 political parties, and 22 movements in Slovakia. The parties of the Hungarian Coalition have a wide support of the Hungarian minority (about 10% of Slovakia's citizens are Hungarians).
The Association of Slovak Workers will probably propose their presidential candidate Jozef Kalman, which is currently the vice-chair of the Slovak government for the European Integration. The Democratic Party won't support Kalman in any case, because he studied at the Political College of the Communist Party of Slovakia. The spokesman of the Slovak Democratic Coalition Mikulas Dzurinda can imagine the possibility of supporting Kalman, because "also HZDS, SNS and ZRS realized, that Slovakia needs the President"...
The Slovak National Party (SNS) wants to include two new important points in the possible novelization of the Constitution. Firstly, they want to make Slovakia a "neutral" country in the military sphere. According to several opposition politicians, this is just a propagandistic activity, which should attract more voters to SNS, which already looses the preferences. People mostly do not understand, that's it's not possible to become independent, but they like such an alternative.
The second attempt of the Slovak National Party is to establish the capital punishment. However, this is really against many international agreements, and shouldn't be accepted in the Parliament.
The Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar said, that it's necessary to elect the new President in Parliament soon. He sees the problem just in the current configuration of the political forces, which does not allow the governmental coalition to elect a President, as they do not have 90 votes. They would prefer the new rule, which would allow just 76 (one half of all deputies plus one) to elect a new President in the second round. He commented the efforts of the opposition to let citizens elect the President directly, as "they want to give up their responsibility."
Vladimir Meciar said also, that the governmental coalition would propose two or three candidates in the third of fourth round, so Jozef Kalman wouldn't be the candidate of the whole coalition, but only of the Association of Slovak Workers.
The unemployment rate in the Slovak republic reached 13.6%. The highest unemployment is in Rimavska Sobota district, with over 26%. Traditionally, Bratislava has less than 3.5%, and is the most employed district in Slovakia.
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