BRATISLAVA, October 1, (WEBNOVINY)- The non-parliamentary SMK is in a hurry to prepare for possible early elections. The party is certain that Slovakia will soon see early elections since arguments inside the ruling coalition make it unstable. The SMK insists that the coalition faces a crisis while the internal situation of its members is extremely complicated. “We do not think that it is possible to rule in this way until 2014. They will end sooner,” said SMK Chairman Jozsef Berenyi after the SMK national board sitting on Saturday.
Berenyi said that they are not enthusiastic about the situation within the coalition as the alternative may be even worse. „It is not in our interest that Robert Fico, especially with the support of the SNS, returned to power,” added Berenyi. The SMK thus says that they have to accelerate preparations for early elections and prepare a program. Apart of fight against the economic and financial crisis the party will focus mainly on regions in south Slovakia and priorities of minority policy. The SMK will also change its statutes as the current ones are from the era when the SMK had a 10-percent backing and the monopoly position in the south of the country, explained Berenyi. The new statues are expected to make the party more open when also independent candidates, intellectuals and businesspersons will be able to run on its slate expected to help ethnic Hungarians preserve their identity.
Berenyi said that the best political allies of his party are the SDKU-DS and the KDH. The SMK would hail any election result over five percent in early elections that would return it to parliament.
The SMK criticizes the prepared changes to the funding of self-governments that will mean a shortfall of between EUR 240 million and EUR 250 million for towns and villages, said SMK Deputy chairman Peter Ory. “The government is attempting to liquidate mainly smaller self-governments,” he said. Ory added that the changes are at odds with the government program statement and if new rules are enacted municipalities will have problems to finance for example schools and kindergartens.
SITA