THE INSTITUTE for Public Affairs (IVO) think tank, after studying political party election programmes ahead of September 20-21 elections, has said they are less concrete, less easily verified and generally of poorer quality than those of four years ago.
IVO researchers said parties seemed to have realised that few Slovak voters actually read party programmes, and had trimmed them accordingly both in length and sophistication.
One of the parties that formed the current government, PM Mikuláš Dzurinda's now-defunct SDK, got into serious trouble with the electorate after promising in 1998 to cut unemployment under 10 per cent and to double wages from 1998-2002.
The party came second in 1998 elections with 27 per cent, but was later accused of having made unrealistic promises.
