US embassy cable - 05BRATISLAVA432

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000432 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FOR EUR/NCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2015 
TAGS: PHUM, PINR, KDEM, KPAO, LO 
SUBJECT: ROMA POLITICAL POLLING SHOWS DISCREPANCY BETWEEN 
PUBLIC OPINION AND PRIVATE PRACTICES 
 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires A.I. Scott N. Thayer for Reasons 1.4 ( 
B) and (D). 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  National Democratic Institute (NDI) Roma 
Political Participation program advisors told Poloff that 
recent polling data showed commonly held perceptions of Roma 
political affiliation, involvement, and participation were 
false.  Some of this data, they claimed, could be damaging to 
the Roma community in Slovakia, as it demonstrated that the 
Roma do not represent the large, undecided voting block that 
current political parties assume, but rather are largely 
aligned with leftist parties.  They are very much influenced 
by their financial situation.  NDI fears this information, if 
made public, would discourage political parties from seeking 
support among an "already committed" voting block.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
THE ROMA LIKE MECIAR AND FICO... 
-------------------------------- 
 
2.  (C)  The polling data, conducted via statistical sampling 
by the Institute for Public Affairs (IVO), revealed that over 
40 percent of Roma sympathize with HZDS, the party of former 
prime minister Vladimir Meciar.  The next largest voting 
block is aligned with Smer (whose leader, Robert Fico, 
famously suggested that Roma should be placed in reeducation 
camps), and to the surprise of NDI, six percent of Roma even 
expressed support for SNS (the "Slovak National Party"), 
whose supporters include some "white supremacists."  Polling 
data also showed, however, that the Roma remain a relatively 
uneducated electorate; they are frequently motivated to vote 
because of misperceptions about legal penalties for not 
voting, and their party loyalties seem largely affected by 
the views of their family elders.  (COMMENT:  Smer 
historically polls better than it performs in elections.  END 
COMMENT) 
 
...BUT ALSO SUPPORT "FAMOUS" ROMA ON TV 
--------------------------------------- 
 
3.  (C)  NDI's polling suggested that the "public figures" 
the Roma felt best represented them were Roma themselves. 
The young Roma man who recently appeared on the hit 
television show "Slovak Superstar" received the most support 
as a representative of the Roma community.  He is followed 
closely by Vladimir Sendrej, who appeared on the Slovak 
television program "Wife Swap."  Sendrej is frequently 
approached on the street by Slovaks who say that seeing him 
on TV "completely changed" the way they thought about Roma. 
 
4.  (C)  NDI told Poloff that they expect to keep some of the 
results of the polling secret, though they are also planning 
on doing a public release of other parts of the data which 
they feel could influence and promote the further 
participation of Roma in the political process, while at the 
same time motivating current political parties to more 
actively engage the Roma community. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
5.  (C)  This data was prepared by NDI to complement the 
current training they are conducting for 20 young Roma who 
they hope will run for elected office in November's regional 
elections; so far, they tell the Embassy that they have four 
candidates from the group "committed" to running, and that 
they expect others -- including TV star Sendrej -- to try for 
public office. 
THAYER 
 
 
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