Slovak party leaders to meet President, start talks

By Alan Crosby

BRATISLAVA (Reuters) – Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic
will ask Robert Fico to begin talks to form a new government on
Monday after the populist’s leftist Smer party topped a weekend
election but fell short of a majority.

Fico has promised a radical break with the economic reforms
of the previous government of Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda
after winning 29 percent of the vote in Saturday’s election,
the most by any single party.

But the 41-year-old lawyer potentially faces weeks of tough
negotiations to form a coalition government and Dzurinda, whose
party came second on 18.4 percent, is lurking in the wings and
could stay in power if Fico fails to find any partners.

The talks will likely decide the fate of reforms which won
plaudits abroad and transformed the landlocked nation of 5.4
million people into one of Europe’s fastest-growing economies,
but left unemployment high and proved painful for many.

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

“We are not interested in carrying out right-wing policy if
we participate in the government,” Fico told reporters.

Fico has signaled he will try to woo centre-right parties
traditionally allied to Dzurinda, rather than approach fringe
groups such as the far-right Nationalist Party which came third
with 11.7 percent of votes.

Fico vowed to respect Slovakia’s target of adopting the
euro on January 1, 2009, but quickly added he would not
hesitate to revise the goal if he feels it is not in the
country’s interest.

“I expect the new government to continue building on all of
the positive achievements of the past as well as to be critical
and consider revising those (reforms) that have turned out to
be too harsh on our citizens,” Gasparovic said after the vote.

Foreign investment and wages have risen under Dzurinda, but
Fico cashed in on discontent with high unemployment — now 11
percent — and healthcare and pension reforms that cut
benefits.

Smer will have 50 seats in the 150-seat parliament,
compared to 31 for Dzurinda’s Democratic and Christian Union.

But Dzurinda, eastern Europe’s longest-serving leader after
eight years at the helm, could keep power if Smer cannot form a
coalition and the president then turns to him.

The combined vote for Dzurinda’s party and two possible
allies, the Ethnic Hungarian Party and Christian Democrats, was
just over 38 percent — or 65 seats.

Ex-prime minister Vladimir Meciar, whose centre-left party
won 8.8 percent of votes, could emerge as a kingmaker if Fico
or Dzurinda have to turn to fringe parties. His authoritarian
rule was blamed for Slovakia’s international isolation in the
1990s.