Slovak leftists vow break with reforms after victory

By Alan Crosby and Matt Reynolds

BRATISLAVA (Reuters) – Slovakia’s leftist Smer party
promised a radical break with economic reforms on Sunday after
winning an election that showed voters’ fatigue with the
radical changes made by the center-right.

Smer, led by populist Robert Fico, faces an uphill struggle
to form a coalition government after failing to win an outright
majority in Saturday’s parliamentary election, the first since
the former communist nation joined the European Union in 2004.

Full provisional results showed Smer won 29 percent of the
votes and Dzurinda’s party secured 18 percent. Long coalition
talks are likely and reformist Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda
might yet hang on to power if Fico fails to find any partners.

The coalition talks are likely to decide the future of the
reforms that have won plaudits abroad and transformed the
landlocked nation of 5.4 million people into one of Europe’s
fastest growing economies.

They could also determine whether Slovakia adopts the euro
single currency in 2009 as planned.

“Fast economic growth will no longer be for the benefit of
a narrow group of people,” Fico, 41, told supporters outside
Smer headquarters before leading them in singing the national
anthem.

He promised “a solidarity program that will react to the
great divide between the richer and poorer regions of the
country.”

Fico made clear he wanted to lure center-right parties into
a coalition rather than wooing nationalists, who came third
with 11.7 percent of votes, and a center-left party led by
former prime minister Vladimir Meciar.

He said he would respect Slovakia’s target of adopting the
euro in 2009 but left the door open to a revision of the date.

“We confirm January 1, 2009, as the euro date but in case
it’s not favorable for the country, we could thing about
revising it,” Fico said.

DZURINDA DOES NOT ACCEPT DEFEAT

President Ivan Gasparovic is likely to first ask Fico to
form a government and, if he fails, then turn to Dzurinda.

Dzurinda, eastern Europe’s longest serving leader after
eight years at the helm, could yet keep power by joining forces
with other center-right parties if Fico fails to find allies.

The combined vote for Dzurinda’s Democratic and Christian
Union and his two most obvious allies was just over 38 percent,
and he would need one more partner to gain a majority in the
150-seat parliament.

Dzurinda urged the two parties — the Ethnic Hungarian
Party and the Christian Democrats — to stick together, keep
Slovakian on the reform path and resist Fico’s approaches.

“We have quite a strong position together and I hope our
cooperation will be effective and productive,” he said.

Meciar, whose center-left party won 8.8 percent of votes,
could emerge as kingmaker. His authoritarian rule was blamed
for pushing Slovakia into international isolation in the 1990s.

“I give an about 50 percent chance to the center-right
parties forming a government and give Smer a 50 percent chance
(of forming a coalition),” said Sona Szomolanyi, professor of
political science, at Bratislava’s Comenius University.