Politics & Society

Fico assesses government performance and awards full marks THE CURRENT government has been the first to pursue the social character of the economy, a strong state and solidarity, Prime Minister Robert Fico said during an evaluation on March 17 of his own government’s 2006-2010 term, the SITA newswire reported. 22 Mar 2010 Compiled by Spectator staff The Slovak Spectator

Poll shows KDH ahead of SDKÚ News in short Locked

THE RULING Smer party would have won 38 percent of the votes if elections had been held in mid-March, according to the results of a telephone survey carried out by the Polis agency between March 13 and 16 on a sample of 1,280 respondents, the SITA newswire wrote. The next most popular party was the opposition Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), with 13.4 percent; the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) in third place, with 12.7 percent. 22 Mar 2010 Compiled by Spectator staff The Slovak Spectator

Diplomats observe disciplinary case News in short Locked

FOREIGN diplomats are continuing publicly to monitor disciplinary proceedings against judges critical of Supreme Court President Štefan Harabin. British Ambassador Michael Roberts and representatives of the embassies of the USA, Canada, Norway and Austria attended a hearing against Supreme Court Justice Jozef Kandera on March 17, the Sme daily reported. 22 Mar 2010 Compiled by Spectator staff The Slovak Spectator

Whither the whistleblowers? Locked

ACCORDING to special prosecutor Ján Hrivňák, as quoted by Sme, the Specialised Criminal Court’s March 16 decision to free Pavol Bielik and clear him of corruption charges “is not a good signal for potential reporters of corruption because there is a risk that even if they tell the truth it might turn against them. It is sad.” 22 Mar 2010 Beata Balogová The Slovak Spectator

SITA

Candidate lists announced Few changes in ruling parties; new faces in others Locked

THE NUMBER of candidates who will start their campaigns for parliamentary seats soon, or have already done so, was officially rounded out on March 14, the deadline for political parties to submit the names on their lists. Most parties waited until that date to announce their complete lists and there were a few last-minute surprises. 22 Mar 2010 Michaela Stanková The Slovak Spectator

Sme - T. Benedikovič

Human rights still in the spotlight Locked

TWENTY years of democracy, as opposed to the communist regime which ruled the country prior to November 1989, have apparently not been enough for Slovakia to deal with all the human rights issues that belong partly to the legacy of communism. Problems with transparency in public procurement, the independence of the judiciary or freedom of the press continue to raise concerns among the international community. The recently released Human Rights Report by the US Department of State has again served to highlight unease. 22 Mar 2010 Michaela Stanková The Slovak Spectator

Fico asks president to veto Patriot Act News in short Locked

PRIME Minister Robert Fico has informally asked President Ivan Gašparovič to not sign the Patriotism Act, which was prepared by the junior coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) and was recently passed by parliament. The prime minister’s main objection is that the new law is due to come in to effect on April 1; Fico would prefer to delay its validity until the beginning of the next school year on September 1, the Sme daily reported. 22 Mar 2010 Compiled by Spectator staff The Slovak Spectator

Sólyom angers Slovak government News in short Locked

A STATEMENT made by Hungary’s President László Sólyom during a visit to Serbia on March 13, that Hungarians living in Slovakia, Serbia and Romania should learn the state language only as a foreign language, has been denounced by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico as an attack on the integrity of Slovakia. 22 Mar 2010 Compiled by Spectator staff The Slovak Spectator

Corruption trial ends in not guilty verdict IT WAS one of the most keenly observed cases involving suspected corruption of a public official and one of the hottest cases that the now-abolished Special Court had handled. But six years after an alleged crime was first reported by a businessman to the police, the main defendants in the case were on March 16 cleared by the Senate of the Specialised Criminal Court, the successor of the Special Court. The court, sitting in Pezinok, said that it had not been proved that the act for which the two were originally convicted had actually happened. 22 Mar 2010 Beata Balogová The Slovak Spectator

Making all the votes count Slovak ex-pats must register before April 23 THE NUMEROUS communities of Slovaks living outside the borders of their motherland could influence the outcome of the parliamentary elections in June. Most of them, however, have given up their chance to vote because they thought the voting procedure was too complicated and time-consuming. In response, organisations of Slovaks living in foreign countries have started a campaign to raise awareness about the possibilities for these citizens to make a contribution to political life ‘back home’ by voting in the 2010 parliamentary elections. 17 Mar 2010 Michaela Stanková The Slovak Spectator

Positive deeds are the best tools for raising patriotism Interview The Slovak Spectator spoke to historian Roman Holec from the Slovak History deparment of the Comenius University's Faculty of Philosophy about the Patriotism Act and the ways patriotism has been interpreted throughout the history of the Slovak nation. 15 Mar 2010 Michaela Stanková Spectator.sme.sk

Pride about motherland cannot be conditioned by any law Interview The Slovak Spectator spoke to historian Milan Zemko about the history of Slovak patriotism and the ways how to raise patriotism among Slovaks today. 15 Mar 2010 Michaela Stanková Spectator.sme.sk

Slovak for Foreigners Examination Dates Announced The E-KU Institute of Language and Intercultural Communications in Nitra announces the test dates for the first International Exam, ECL, Slovak for Foreigners: 15 Mar 2010 Compiled by Spectator staff The Slovak Spectator

Concerns about Slovakia in US report News in short THE US Department of State issued its global annual report on human rights on March 11, in which it evaluated the Slovak government’s respect for the human rights of citizens as standard overall. However, controversial issues were reported in some areas. 15 Mar 2010 Compiled by Spectator staff The Slovak Spectator

Frešo leaves SDKÚ slate over poll fraud News in short OPPOSITION SDKÚ MP and Bratislava Region president Pavol Frešo resigned from the party's slate for the parliamentary elections over voting fraud in the party’s primaries in Bratislava, the TASR newswire reported. 15 Mar 2010 Compiled by Spectator staff The Slovak Spectator

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