US embassy cable - 05BRATISLAVA473

C O N F I D E N T I A L  BRATISLAVA 000473 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINR, KDEM, LO 
SUBJECT: REGIONAL POLITICAL PARTIES TRY OUT ALLIANCES 
BEFORE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS 
 
Classified By: CDA Scott N. Thayer for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY: In advance of Slovakia's regional 
elections (scheduled for November 26), political parties have 
begun to experiment with different pairings and coalitions in 
the "consequence-free environment" of regional politics.  At 
the local and regional level, Slovak politics is based less 
on party platforms than on the personal relationships of the 
politicians, which are occasionally born of common 
corruption.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U)  For ease of reading, Post provides the following 
"Key" to the political party acronyms: 
 
SDKU = Slovak Democratic and Christian Union 
KDH = Christian Democrat Movement 
SMK = Hungarian Coalition Party 
ANO = Alliance of New Citizens 
HZDS = Movement for a Democratic Slovakia 
HZD = Movement for Democracy 
Smer = "Direction" 
KSS = Communist Party of Slovakia 
SNS = Slovak National Party 
SF = Free Forum 
DS = Democratic Party 
 
WHAT'S AT STAKE? 
---------------- 
 
3.  (U)  Over the past five years, Slovakia has attempted to 
decentralize its government away from a central, 
Bratislava-based system towards more regional authority. 
Regionally, there are 8 administrative "higher territorial 
units," or "Zupas," whose regional parliaments are made up of 
40 to 62 deputies.  These regional governments have control 
over roads (but not highways), zoning, development, 
investment ventures, secondary schools, hospitals, and social 
service facilities like retirement homes, children's 
services, cultural activities, and licensing.  This 
decentralization has brought with it nearly USD 1 Billion to 
each Zupa; what it has not brought is the oversight to see 
how the funds are being administered. 
 
CORRUPTION MEANS MORE THAN PLATFORMS 
------------------------------------ 
 
4.  (SBU)  At a public forum in Bratislava June 15, Minister 
of Justice Daniel Lipsic and NGO attorney Vladimir Pirosik 
described what they see as a regional party structure based 
on "brotherhood" or "clan" loyalty among corrupt local 
officials regardless of party affiliations.  Reaffirming the 
point that Slovakia's political parties are based less on 
policy than on personal relationships at the local and 
regional level, they said corruption is becoming a more 
serious problem at the local and regional levels in Slovakia. 
 Decentralization has brought significant amounts of money -- 
and little oversight -- to the regional governments, and 
national auditors have no legal authority yet to provide 
oversight.  In addition, local media outlets are often owned 
by mayors or municipal officials, and thus fail to fulfill 
their traditional "watchdog" role. 
 
"FRANKENPARTY" FORMS TO TAKE ON HUNGARIANS IN NITRA... 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
5.  (SBU)  Only a few days after a "Slovak coalition" of odd 
bedfellows (including KDH, SDKU, HZDS, and Smer) was formed 
to challenge SMK dominance in the Nitra region, the dispute 
between the two factions has grown fierce.  SMK, which 
controls 31 of 52 seats in the regional parliament, was 
accused by the new coalition of taking an overly partisan and 
nationalist approach to its administration of the region, 
including bias in its personnel policy, its distribution of 
regional monies, and its apathy towards the views of the 
minority Slovak parties and citizens.  The coalition 
published a list of 24 controversial tenders and recalls of 
directors that were orchestrated by SMK, harming ethnic 
Slovaks in the region. 
 
6.  (C)  In private meetings with Embassy officers, SMK 
deputy chairman and MP Miklos Duray admitted that the SMK 
government in the Nitra region is biased in favor of 
Hungarians, and said that several councilmen had been kicked 
out of the party because of their lack of transparency.  He 
told Emboffs that he thinks the so-called anti-Hungarian 
coalition is probably not motivated by anti-Hungarian animus, 
but instead represents a reflection of the "bad governing 
practices" of the SMK majority in the Nitra region (a view we 
also heard from the regional SMK in March).  In his view, SMK 
councilmen in the region should have provided more space to 
the other parties and should have "shown them more respect." 
 
...WHILE IN TRENCIN, HZDS IS THE WILD CARD 
------------------------------------------ 
 
7.  (SBU)  On June 11, regional party leaders from Smer, KDH, 
SNS, HZD, and SF signed a coalition agreement for the 
November regional elections in Trencin.  The coalition 
candidate for the chairman of the Trencin region is Miroslav 
Chovanec, a current Smer MP and OB/GYN who once notably told 
Poloffs that doctors don't request bribes for delivering 
babies, but usually accept "gifts" for their services.  The 
parties also reached an agreement about the number of seats 
each would receive in the Trencin regional parliament:  Smer 
21, KDH 11, SNS 8, HZD 3, SD 2.  A potential 
counter-coalition would consist of SDKU, ANO, DS, and 
possibly HZDS (the SDKU mayor of Trencin told Charge several 
months ago that coalition with HZDS was a real possibility). 
While such coalitions would some time ago have been 
unthinkable, the regional elections provide parties with an 
opportunity to experiment with different alliances in advance 
of national elections. 
 
UNHOLY ALLIANCE?  MECIAR OFFERS ANO AN OLIVE BRANCH 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
8.  (SBU)  At the ANO party congress, also held June 11, HZDS 
party leader and former Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar 
offered to ANO ("Alliance of New Citizens") his party's 
cooperation after parliamentary elections in 2006.  While the 
offer was not accepted outright, it was not rejected by the 
ANO leadership either.  Cooperation between HZDS and SDKU has 
been the subject of lively discussion in the Slovak press, 
but in reality, none of the coalition parties have ruled out 
a partnership with HZDS.  SMK and KDH have, so far, expressed 
the most reservations about such a partnership.  Smer leader 
Robert Fico stated that his party is ready to cooperate with 
all relevant parties, including the Communists and SNS.  This 
far out, all parties are keeping their options open. 
THAYER 
 
 
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