Slovakia’s senior public officials urged the Slovak public on June 5 to participate in the country's European Parliament elections on June 6 in an attempt to prevent a repeat of 2004, when Slovakia had the lowest turnout in Europe on less than 17 percent, newswire TASR wrote.
Cautioning against ignoring the vote, Gašparovič appealed to citizens to cast their votes in order to pick MEPs who will represent and defend their rights as well as Slovakia's position in the European Union.
Prime Minister Robert Fico blames lack of interest in the election on the country's hitherto successful membership in the European bloc, which has lulled the populace into apathy. He urged Slovaks to vote so as to thus confirm the European Union's image of Slovakia - that of a stable country and a stable partner, wrote TASR.