Archive of articles - June 2006, page 6

Surprised? We shouldn't be

THE ELEMENT of surprise is what makes elections so endlessly fascinating. On June 17, the Slovak voter, this perplexing creature that politicians have been trying to dissect to learn its secrets, prepared several surprises for the political contestants. Indeed, one of the most frequently used words following the announcement of the results of the parliamentary elections in Slovakia was "surprise".

Slovakia recognises Montenegro

Campaign consumes more money

Economy grows at 6.3 percent in first quarter

A grand coalition for Slovakia?

OF ALL the coalition possibilities that have opened up in the wake of the June 17 parliamentary elections, one of the most intriguing is that between the populist-socialist Smer party and the neo-liberal SDKÚ of Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda.This is not to say that such a coalition is likely - to do so would be to ensure that it was definitively rejected on the day this newspaper hit the stands. Rather, it is to suggest that such a cooperation would contain two ingredients of what the nation most needs today.

FinMin receives recognition for excellence

Jánošík

AT THE FOOT of the High Tatras, in the centre of Starý Smokovec, used to stand a stylish mountain pub. Between 1886 and 1931, it served local citizens, wagoners and, as it name indicates, coachmen.

Jobless rate falls to 10.63 percent

Covering all the angles

THE DANGER of elections, especially when six parties are in the hunt for a place in government, is that comments made a day after elections may be irrelevant 24 hours later.Nevertheless, The Slovak Spectator presents the thoughts of two leading observers of Slovak politics - Grigorij Mesežnikov of the Institute for Public Affairs think tank, and Kevin Deegan-Krause of Wayne State University in the US - in the belief that their views have longer-lasting implications.

Slovakia hailed for joining the West

EVEN its staunchest critics credited the outgoing government of Mikuláš Dzurinda for some of its international achievements. The cabinet was acknowledged as having brought Slovakia back from the near international isolation it suffered under the 1994-1998 Vladimír Mečiar government, and won for it a place in two of the most elite international clubs: the EU and NATO.

Bratislava can draw support for

Smer and SDKÚ dominate vote

SLOVAK voters gave the left-wing opposition Smer party the strongest result and the largest margin of victory in 12 years in the country's June 17 parliamentary elections.Smer leader Robert Fico's steady criticism of the outgoing right-wing Mikuláš Dzurinda government in the run-up to elections brought him 29.14 percent of the vote and likely a strong mandate in talks between the parties to form the next government.

Quote of the Week:

Banič and paratroopers

IVAN Schwarz, who was the first to parachute behind enemy lines in the Battle of Dukla during World War II, and Jozef Tuček, who has 1,115 jumps to his credit, were among the tens of guests in red berets from around the Slovak and Czech Republics to attend the unveiling of a monument to Štefan Banič (1870-1941), the inventor of the parachute. The ceremony took place on June 9 in the inventor's birthplace, Smolenice, near Trnava.

State handed out billions in aid

What do Slovaks dream about?

What the markets said

MARKET watchers were careful in commenting on the results of parliamentary elections, but suggested that the outcome was more optimistic than they had anticipated. For business, the most important aspect of the elections was whether or not the outgoing government's reforms would be cancelled or continued."It seems that the reform parties [after elections] have a better negotiating position," said ING Bank analyst Ján Tóth.

Transpetrol among leftover cabinet business

WHEN Slovakia sold a minority stake in the state oil pipeline company Transpetrol to the Russian oil colossus Yukos in 2002 for $74 million, no one imagined that in a few years the country would be having to deal with the disposition of the shares again, and in far more complex circumstances.

Martin joins Slovak theatres