Of Interest:
- SMER was formed
by Mr. FICO after he left the SDL (part of the governing coalition of
1998-2002 but now polling under 5% threshold) in 1999. Political analysts
believed that SMER could receive a substantial percentage of the vote
in these elections.
- The SDK was formed
in 1998 as a party encompassing five original parties - Christian Democrats
(KDH), Democratic Union (DU) now mostly a part of the Dzurinda's SDKU,
Green Party (SZS), Democratic Party (DS) and Social Democrats (SDSS).
SDK fell gradually apart, rearranged itself to its original founding
parties and creating SDKU in the process. SDK ceased to exist during
the summer of 2002.
- ANO was formed
by Pavol RUSKO, majority owner of the most popular TV channel Markiza
as a right-of-centre liberal party. Polls position the party among the
players for the next governing coalition.
- SOP and SDL are
now other noncompetitive parties and replaced by SMER. SOP lost its
clout after the forced departure of its Chairman Pavol HAMZIK from the
position of the Deputy Prime Minister. SDL imploded after the departure
of Peter Weiss (Chair, Foreign Relations Committee), Milan Ftacnik Minister
of Education) and Jozef Stank (Minister of Defense), who formed SDA
(Slovak Democratic Alliance) polling below the 5% threshold at this
point.
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