ROMA vote buying has been suspected many times in Slovakia’s past elections and the Party of Roma Union in Slovakia (SRÚS) now fears the upcoming regional elections might be marked by the same problem too.
“The initiative of buying Roma votes definitely comes from the headquarters of poltiical parties who propose their candidates for regional council members,” the party’s head František
Tanko told a press conference on October 22, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
To prevent the buying of votes, SRÚS wants to send a letter to the Central Election Commission, the Interior Ministry, and to the prime minister in order to secure the protection of polling stations.
Toward that end, SRÚS itself plans to place over 1,000 Roma activists and observers at the polling stations on election day, TASR wrote.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Michaela Terenzani from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information
presented in its Flash News postings.