Archive of articles - August 2002, page 9

Management plagues construction firms

Campaigns roust Roma voters

WITH POLITICAL activism on the rise across the country in the run-up to September's vote, Slovakia's Roma minority, estimated to represent 4 per cent of the country's eligible voters, has been receiving increased attention in the already rancorous election campaign.Mainstream political parties such as opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) and non-parliamentary New Citizens' Alliance (Ano) have highly visible Roma candidates and caucuses within their parties, but non-partisan efforts are also underway to get out the Roma vote, and ensure the votes are counted.One program, run in cooperation between the Washington D.C.-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the Association of Roma Settlements in the Prešov Region, is engaging Roma communities and leaders throughout east Slovakia to explain the importance and mechanics of voting.

HZDS support tumbles, splinter HZD rockets up

LEADING opposition party Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), which as Slovakia's most popular political party has traditionally enjoyed the support of nearly a third of the country's voters, has seen a dramatic 9 percentage point tumble in voter support, according to the most recent survey.Although a wide range of political analysts say the survey results are unrealistic, some attribute the decrease of HZDS voter support to the recent turmoil surrounding the party.In early July, Slovakia's most wanted fugitive, former secret service boss and HZDS MP Ivan Lexa was arrested in South Africa, and shortly afterwards the party faced a number of high profile defections to the splinter Movement for Democracy (HZD) party, created by former Mečiar ally and HZDS number-two Ivan Gašparovič.

Civic group blasts ST on rate increase

CUSTOMERS of the Slovak Telecom (ST) monopoly have the worst conditions for Internet access among Visegrad Four countries, says the civic association Internet for Everyone (IPV).The group was responding to an ST price hike from August 1 that raised the cost of off-peak Internet connections through telephone lines by Sk6 to Sk29.52 ($0.64) per hour.Internet for Everyone, backed by other non-governmental organisations, says that the most recent increase means that Internet access prices in Slovakia have risen by 66 per cent since summer 2001, but higher prices have not led to an improved range of services.

Krajči visited RSA before Lexa arrest

EconMin proposes venture capital fund

AgMin reports increased production

Highway construction falls behind

Reader feedback: Stickers fun, effective party promo

Countrywide Events

BRATISLAVAWESTERN SLOVKIACENTRAL SLOVAKIAEASTERN SLOVAKIA

Quote of the Week

Around Slovakia

Slovak crosses English Channel, ice-cream followsMan found dead after two-day bingeHusband faces torture chargesBear attacks mushroom hunterParachuting Dane falls badlyNecklace phantom soon behind barsFormer Roma mayor makes trouble again

Elections to eat 100s of tons of paper

Nationalist leader facing court case

Who is Ano: TV & sports figures, field experts but no politicians

THE START-UP non-parliamentary New citizens' alliance (Ano) party, headed by media magnate Pavol Rusko, has published a candidate list comprised of well-known personalities from all walks of life, with the exception of politics.Party representatives say that the list, which features acknowledged specialists as well as personalities from TV and sports, is balanced, and indicates the party's genuine efforts to, "nominate experts to the first 20 places [on the candidate list]," said Jozef Heriban, head of Ano's election campaign, and number 13 on the list.However, some political analysts fear that the popular personalities featured on the Ano list are included more to generate votes than to shape policy.

Rhetoric, not reality: Practical solutions for Roma are still missing

IN THE run-up to September's parliamentary elections, with EU and Nato ambitions hanging in the balance, parties and non-partisan organisations are trying more than ever to involve the Roma politically, through integration of leaders in traditional parties, training in political candidacy and local government procedure, and grassroots efforts to get communities thinking and talking about their future.However, a real dialogue on the Roma - the ways that Slovakia can break the cycle of unemployment, poverty and suspicion - has yet to take place, with pre-election rhetoric seemingly aimed at manipulating the Roma, or the backlash anti-Roma vote.While some parties, particularly Vladimír Mečiar's HZDS and Pavol Rusko's Ano, are actively courting Roma voters by including representatives on candidate lists and instituting in-house talking shops on Roma issues, others are playing to the nationalist sentiment that is never far from the surface of Slovak politics.

Hungarian ForMin: Status Law needs fix

Norway returns Slovak Roma

Roma leaders choose various methods for political impact

TWO ROMA parties running for the September parliamentary elections are up for a tough contest this fall, with sceptics saying that an independent Roma party winning seats in the legislature is still years away.The fragmented and often changing Roma political scene has lead analysts as well as some Roma politicians to believe that a more effective way of helping the Roma population through national politics is by means of alliances with popular start-up or previously established political parties.Unlike the Hungarian minority, Slovakia's slightly smaller Roma population, estimated at 400,000, lives mostly in poorer regions of the country and has had little voice in influencing Slovak political life.