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Article: Snap and snarl; Slovakia's populists; Slovakia's populist opposition.(politics in Slovakia)(Europe)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- June 9, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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POPULISM is the name of today's game in Slovakian politics. Three populists are now muscling in on next year's general election, snapping and snarling at allegations of government corruption, which recently led the European Union to suspend, temporarily, some payments to Slovakia.
The most established of the three is Vladimir Meciar, the main inspirer of the break-up in 1993 of Czechoslovakia. He jeers at the fractious governing coalition of the centre-right, which was formed specifically to keep him out of office. But Slovaks recall how he drove the country into the ground during his years as prime minister from 1993 to 1998. Pollsters say 25% of the vote is the ...