GUGSP
© 1997, 98
Miro Sedivy |
GUGSP News Archive: 06 Apr - 12 Apr 1998
A summary of the most important events in the Slovak politics in the 15th week of the year 1998.
|
WEEK 14 --
MAIN LIST --
WEEK 16
MONDAY 06 Apr 1998
Today was the last day to propose the presidential candidate for the third round. The chairman of the Slovak National Council Ivan Gasparovic declared the 46th Parliamentarian session for Thursday, 16th April 1998. The deputies will choose from three candidates: Brigita Schmognerova (Party of the Democratic Left), Milan Secansky (HZDS) and Zdeno Suska (independent candidate). In the case none of the candidates reaches 90 votes, two best of them will participate in the second scrutiny two weeks later.
There are already 150,000 signatures below the petition for correct elections. The region of Bratislava is currently the first with about 28 thousands signatures, and Presov region with 27 thousands signatures. These are also the two regions (out of 8 regions in Slovakia), where HZDS has absolutely the less supporters.
On Wednesday, the Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar will travel to Latvia for two days. He'll meet the representatives of this Baltic country.
The representatives of the Slovak Syndicate of the Journalists (SSN) met the members of the Press Department of the Government. Jan Fule, the chairman of SSN wanted to re-establish the correct mechanism of press conferences of the Government. Last year, the Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar canceled all regular press conferences of the government, and the journalists couldn't be informed on the current issues discussed in the government. Before, the press conferences were immediately after the Tuesday session.
Now, the government decided to re-establish the news conferences, but only every two weeks, and on Thursday, which is two days after the governmental session. The Press Department of the Government sent letters to the editors of the newspapers (no letter to the editor of GUGSP???) with the offer to accredit one and only journalist. This means, that it's still not sure that in the case one journalist from one newspaper cannot come, whether some of his colleagues could take his place...
The new designed Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the United Nations Organization Olga Keltosova announced, that she'll take with her to New York, the Prime Minister's former spokeswoman the Magda Pospisilova. She should work there as the Press and culture Attach‚. According to the information of the Slovak Foreign Ministry, Magda Pospisilova went to diplomatic special studies to the Moscow Diplomatic Academy for 4 weeks.
According to the Interior Ministry representatives, the new Law on the Regional Self-Government is only helping to the regional parliaments. On the other side, the Association of the Towns and Villages of Slovakia (ZMOS) does not think it's the case, because "the government wants to expand its power also into the regions. And if this law is accepted, the self-government does not need to be called self-government any more."
The Ministry wants the Regional Offices (governmental institutions) to consult firstly all self-governmental (not governmental institution) declarations. ZMOS does not want to let the governmental institutions discuss any such declarations, which would still not be accepted by the municipal parliament. ZMOS would accept only if the Regional Office accused the municipal parliament in the case of a declaration violating the law.
The Roma are preparing a meeting against the racism and discrimination on 29th April in Presov.
The Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) will organize a meeting in the Kosice sport-hall on 24th April with Vladimir Meciar. There will be also a huge screen on one nearby busy street...
The Easter holiday lasts from Thursday 9th April to Tuesday 14th April.
TUESDAY 07 Apr 1998
The Party for Civic Understanding (SOP) had its very first official session in Bratislava on Sunday. This new-formed party, initiated by the Kosice Mayor Rudolf Schuster reached nearly 15% in the recent opinion polls. Its new-elected leader, Rudolf Schuster of course, declared SOP would work for democracy and understanding in Slovakia. Schuster refused any sort of cooperation with HZDS with Vladimir Meciar on its head. Of course, he accepts "only serious" people from HZDS, those who need a chance.
The international financial agency Standard and Pours (sorry if misspelled) changed its economic relations toward the Slovak Republic. It did not decrease its rating, as the Moody's agency did last week, but it moved its outlook from stable to negative. If there's no change in the political and economic situation of the country, the rating may really decrease. The reasons presented by the agency argued, that the Slovak government is often "lending money" from abroad, and that it's continually attempting to modify the independent status of the National Bank.
The 45th Parliamentarian session continued today. The opposition also proposed that the Parliament should accept a declaration of the referendum about the direct presidential elections. Of course, the Parliament with the majority of the governmental coalition deputies couldn't accept such declaration.
According to the materials of the Health Care Ministry, the current losses in the Health Care sector reach about 4.5 billion SKK (~130 million USD). The former Health Care Minister Tibor Sagat (Democratic Union) recommended to declare the "forced status" in this sector as the only possibility in the current situation.
The Interior Minister presented the Report on the Crime situation in the country.
Since tomorrow, the Slovak National Party will begin a petition activity for the neutrality of the Slovak Republic and also for the capital punishment.
The opera singer Blazena Martinkova, who was the "Prime Minister's advisor for almost everything", is no more the vice-chair of Vladimir Meciar's personal electoral team. The Prime Minister's spokesman Jozef Kroslak refused to explain why Vladimir Meciar decided to loose her. HZDS deputy Jan Smolec supposes it's a boulevard-press affair, and the serious media should not be interested in Blazena Martinkova.
There's also another journalistic question about HZDS. Their luxurious headquarters house in Bratislava belongs to the Eastern-Slovakia Ironworks (VSZ). But VSZ did not provide HZDS with this building. VSZ hired this house to an unknown Kosice company, which gave it to disposition to HZDS. Both the spokesman of VSZ, and the spokesman of HZDS refuse to give any information. On the other side, several HZDS deputies said for radio Twist, that there's no reason to make it a secret.
The Tradesmen Union (KOZ) representatives discussed today in Bratislava. They criticized the last Parliamentarian step, according to which the living minimum increased to 3,000 SKK (~90 USD) monthly, to the same level as the current minimal salary. KOZ asks the government to increase the minimal salary to 3,800 SKK (~110 USD) at least, which will certainly not decrease the will to work, as the current novelization does.
In the meeting with the leader of the Slovak Democratic Coalition Mikulas Dzurinda, KOZ representatives also supported the petition activity for correct parliamentarian elections.
The representatives of the Association of the Slovak Journalists (ZSN) met today with the spokesman of the Prime Minister Jozef Kroslak. They discussed about the re-established governmental news-conferences.
Just a note for those mistaken by yesterday's information about a similar meeting - ZSN and SSN are two different journalistic organizations. The members of ZSN are, for example, journalists of the daily newspaper Slovenska Republika, and SSN associates journalists of SME, Pravda, Praca...
According to the Markant agency, 21% of the respondents would vote for Vladimir Meciar - president, and 49.6% would be against.
The Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar sent a telegram to his Ukrainian partner with condolences for the Saturday catastrophe in Doneck mines.
WEDNESDAY 08 Apr 1998
Yesterday, when the journalist of radio Twist Karol Lovas asked the PM's spokesman Jozed Kroslak, why Vladimir Meciar had quitted his "advisor for almost everything" Blazena Martinkova, Jozef Kroslak replied after a few seconds: "And why did you quit your sweetheart?" Was this an admission? Jozef Kroslak seemed to be quite off-the-rails and then asked the journalist on his age, marital status and religion. When Karol Lovas replied, that he was catholic, Jozef Kroslak reproached him, that he didn't love people, "as can be easily deducted from his reports." GUGSP brings you the whole recording of the dialogue (RealAudio soundclip, 50kB).
Today, Jozef Kroslak reacted to the dialogue and strongly criticized Karol Lovas for doing this. He accused him of recording the personal dialogue illegally and of manipulating and mixing the incorrect phrases. Nevertheless, there was still another journalist standing by them, who fully confirmed that the dialogue was authentically recorded. It's interesting, that also the spokesman of HZDS Vladimir Hagara was surprised of Kroslak's speech, and refused their meaning. So Blazena Martinkova wasn't PM's sweetheart? Vladimir Meciar is currently in Latvia, so he couldn't react to the words of his spokesman...
The Slovak National Party (SNS) launched the petition activity for the neutrality of the Slovak Republic and the re-establishment of the capital punishment. The leaders of SNS Jan Slota, Anna Malikova, Jozef Prokes and Marian Andel, and also the Education Minister Eva Slavkovska and the Defense Minister Jan Sitek officially opened the project in Zilina today. With many other people, also these signed the petition. It's very interesting and very questionable, that also the Defense Minister Jan Sitek (also from SNS) supported this petition for Slovakia's neutrality. Well, on of the governmental main aims in 1994 was Slovakia's integration into EU and NATO, and neutrality is somehow against NATO. It's sure that SNS is for neutrality, but how a Minister of the government who "always attempted" to get into NATO, can support such a petition...
SNS had a briefing in Zilina too. The leader Jan Slota criticized the work of the Health Care Minister Lubomir Javorsky for the catastrophic situation in the sector. Then he presented the SNS's attempts to modify the Constitution in the relations to the citizenship. SNS wants to make a so-called "French model", so that every one citizen of the Slovak Republic would be defined a Slovak. Slota is persuaded, that the Hungarian minority are just Slovaks speaking Hungarian... (???) SNS will also initiate the modification of scholar system, that only the Slovak language would be educated in the state schools. By the way, the Education Minister Eva Slavkovska is from SNS...
SNS will propose its vice-chair Jozef Prokes for the possible fourth round of Presidential elections.
The deputy for Christian-Democratic Movement Ivan Simko asked the Constitutional Court in the issue of the correctness of the first law signed after the President Michal Kovac left his office. According to the Constitution, all laws have to be signed by the President, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Parliament. Now, even if the Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar took most President's rights, he still does not have the right to sign laws instead of the President. And the laws with less than three signatures are not legal...
In the case the Constitutional Court confirms Simko's idea, it would mean a stop to the whole legislative system of the country until a new President is elected.
The chef of the General Staff of the Slovak Army General Jozef Tuchyna has been awarded a medal by the U.S. President Bill Clinton and the U.S. Defense Minister William Cohen. He has been welcomed in the Pentagon with the ceremonies like the heads of states. He's quite respected abroad as the man who really won the independence of the Slovak Army from the government.
The National Property Fund promised to pay money for bonds to all over-70-year-old people before the end of March. There were about 250,000 requests sent from the citizens, but no more than a half of them have been satisfied. This bond system is the consequence of the non-transparent coupon privatization, that the current governmental coalition canceled, and promised to pay bonds to all citizens...
PM's former spokeswoman Magda Pospisilova reacted to the information about her diplomatic studies in Moscow, that it was nothing strange, the Moscow diplomatic academy is a well-known and reputed institution, and she studies only serious subjects.
Vladimir Meciar continued his visit to Latvia, meeting the President of Latvia and their Prime Minister.
THURSDAY 09 Apr 1998
The Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar returned from his two-days visit to Latvia. His spokesman Jozef Kroslak returned with him. The journalists were interested to his reaction to the dialogue between him and the radio Twist journalist Karol Lovas (RealAudio - 50kB). Jozef Kroslak firstly refused the authenticity of the recording, but when another journalist, who was standing by them confirmed its authenticity, Jozef Kroslak declared, that she even wasn't there...
Nevertheless, Jozef Kroslak got into real troubles, because also the spokesman of HZDS Vladimir Hagara refused his words. ...today afternoon, Jozef Kroslak resigned from the post of spokesman of the Prime Minister...
So Vladimir Meciar is back to Slovakia. He met his Latvian partner Gunthar Karats, who has also been invited to Bratislava. They declared the will to get into the European Union and wished to join EU soon together.
According to the Reuters, Vladimir Meciar declared in Riga (the capital of Latvia) today, that "Slovakia is not the enfant terrible of the Europe. The situation in the human rights is relatively even better than in the neighboring countries, who have already been invited to the integration dialogues. I spoke to quite many European politicians, and none of them was able to persuade me about the opposite by the arguments..."
Eduard Kukan, the leader of the opposition Democratic Union, refused the current petition activity of the Slovak National Party for re-establishment of the capital punishment and the neutrality of the Slovak Republic. He said it was really very strange, that also the Defense Minister Jan Sitek, who participated in the government, whose main target was to integrate into NATO, already signed this petition for Slovakia's neutrality. Sitek's words, that it's different to act as a citizen and as a minister do not make any sense. Kukan thinks it is possible to divide these two spheres "only here, in Slovakia..."
According to Laszlo Nagy, the leader of the Hungarian Civic Party, the structure and position of the new-formed Party of the Hungarian Coalition that connects three Hungarian parties, will be known as soon as the new electoral law is accepted in the Parliament.
The petition activity (first and second page) for correct elections initiated by the Slovak Democratic Coalition succeeded to collect 200,000 signatures today. I was standing by one petition table in the center of Bratislava today... people were mostly friendly, willing to support the petition...
FRIDAY 10 Apr 1998
... it was the Easter Holiday ...
|