| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Narodna rada Slovenskej republiky / National Council |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
12 June 2010 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the National Council on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
The June 2010 elections were the first to be held after the country's adoption of the euro in January 2009. They followed elections in Hungary (April) and the Czech Republic (May) in which centre-right parties regained power after pledging to reduce their country's debt amid the Greek and euro crises. In May
the Slovak Government agreed to make some 800 million euros available for the European Union's bailout package for Greece.
The previous elections (June 2006) followed the collapse of the centre-right coalition government led by Mr. Mikulas Dzurinda of the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union - Democratic Party (SDKU - DS). Three parties in that government - the SDKU - DS
the Party of the Hungarian Coalition (SMK) and the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) - took 31
20 and 14 seats respectively
or a total of 65 seats in the 150-member National Council. The leftist Smer (Direction)-Social Democracy (Smer-SD) came in first with 50 seats and subsequently formed a coalition government with the far-right Slovak National Party (SNS
which took 20 seats) and the People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (LS-HZDS
15 seats) under the premiership of Mr. Robert Fico (Smer-SD).
Mr. Fico's administration halted the privatization projects initiated by Mr. Dzurinda and implemented a series of welfare programmes. The country's economy remained strong until the global economic crisis in late 2008. Public debt reached 6.8 per cent of GDP (gross domestic product) in 2009.
In the run-off presidential elections held in April 2009
Mr. Ivan Gasparovic
supported by the Smer-SD and the SNS
was re-elected over Ms. Iveta Radicova (SDKU - DS). In February 2010
SDKU - DS leader Dzurinda announced that he would not contest the 2010 parliamentary elections but remain as SDKU - DS leader. His decision followed a party funding scandal in which Mr. Dzurinda denied any involvement. In March
Ms. Radicova won the top spot on the SDKU - DS' candidate list for the 2010 parliamentary elections
effectively becoming the party's election leader.
Shortly before the 2010 elections
the relationship between Slovakia and Hungary deteriorated. On 26 May
the Hungarian National Assembly passed a law allowing Hungarians living abroad to be granted Hungarian citizenship. Ethnic Hungarians account for about 10 per cent of Slovakia's 5 million inhabitants. Later on the same day
the Slovak National Council passed a law banning dual citizenship and stipulating that Slovak citizens who were granted another country's citizenship would lose their Slovak citizenship as of 17 July 2010.
In 2010
18 parties and 2
397 candidates
including 545 women
were vying for seats in the National Council.
The parties in the outgoing government - the Smer-SD
the LS-HZDS and the SNS - were challenged by the SDKU - DS and the KDH. The SMK of Mr. Pal Csaky and the Most-Hid (Bridge) joined the parties on the right.
Prime Minister Fico called on voters to support his Smer-SD and its allies so that he could continue to lead a "strong social State". In mid-May
a local newspaper reported a funding scandal involving the Smer-SD which was vehemently denied by the Prime Minister. In the run-up to election day
the Smer-SD used a series of radical slogans in a bid to defeat the SDKU - DS. It argued that the SDKU - DS-KDH-SMK coalition government had sold out Slovakia by bringing ethnic Hungarians into the Slovak government. The slogan ended with the phrase "And they would do it again".
The Smer-SD's coalition partner
the SNS
focused on patriotism and traditional values. SNS leader Jan Slota is known for anti-Hungarian statements. Before the 2010 elections
he had argued that the Roma minority abused the welfare State. Although the SNS refrained from targeting the Hungarian minority during the election campaign
the party's election slogan was "Don't feed those who don't want to work". The SNS argued that the slogan referred to all those who abuse the welfare system.
The LS-HZDS of Mr. Vladimir Meciar was reportedly weakened after certain prominent members
including Trnava regional governor Tibor Mikus
left the party. The party had drawn support from the elderly in the previous elections thanks to the popularity of Mr. Merciar
who had played a leading role in the country's independence in the 1990s. However
some LS-HZDS supporters reportedly supported the Smer-SD in 2010.
The SDKU - DS
leading the parties on the right
pledged to reduce the budget deficit
improve the business environment to create more jobs
and tackle corruption. It opposed Slovakia's pledge to provide some 800 million euros to Greece.
The KDH and its leader
Mr. Jan Figel
focused on the party's traditional platform
underscoring the importance of Christian and family values.
The SMK pledged to protect the interests of the country's 500
000 ethnic Hungarians in cooperation with the Hungarian Prime Minister
Mr. Viktor Orban. SMK leader Csaky publicly announced that he was interested in applying for Hungarian citizenship under the new law passed in Hungary. The SMK did not rule out an alliance with the Smer-SD in the post-election government.
In June
the Ministry of Culture
citing the Slovak language law of September 2009
ordered the SMK to place a text in Slovak on its election billboards. The law obliges inhabitants of Slovakia to use the Slovak language in official communications on pain of a fine. The SMK did not change the billboards.
The SMK was reportedly losing ground due to an internal split. Former SMK leader
Mr. Bela Burgar
formed the Most-Hid in June 2009. The Most-Hid pledged to become a bridge between Slovaks and ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia.
Another non-parliamentary party
Freedom and Solidarity (SaS)
was also vying for seats. SaS leader Richard Sulík had served as an aide to the finance ministers of both the Dzurinda and the Fico administrations
implementing tax reforms. Mr. Sulik said he would work with either camp to form a parliamentary majority after the elections. SaS candidates included Mr. Daniel Krajcer
a former television presenter. The SaS promised to hold a referendum on reducing the number of MPs and their immunity and abolishing TV license fees. It campaigned on the Internet
using Facebook and Twitter
which reportedly made it popular among young people.
In all
58.84 per cent of the 4.3 million registered voters turned out at the polls
up from 54.67 per cent in 2006.
The Smer-SD increased its share to 62 seats. However
its ally
the SNS
took only nine seats
and the LS-HZDS failed to win parliamentary representation for the first time since its inception in 1991. The SDKU - DS came in a distant second with 28 seats
followed by the SaS with 22 seats. The KDH and the Most-Hid took 15 and 14 seats respectively. The SMK failed to win parliamentary representation for the first time since its inception in 1998. In all
23 women were elected.
Both Prime Minister Fico and the SDKU - DS election leader
Ms. Radicova
claimed election victory.
On 13 June
President Gasparovic asked Mr. Fico to form a new government
arguing that the party with the most seats should lead the country. However
Mr. Fico failed to form a coalition government.
On 8 July
after a coalition agreement was reached between the SDKU - DS
the SaS
the KDH and the Most-Hid
President Gasparovic appointed Ms. Radicova (SDKU - DS) as Prime Minister. The latter became the first woman in Slovakia to assume the post.
On the same day
the newly elected National Council held its first session and elected Mr. Richard Sulík (SaS) as its new Speaker.
Ms. Radicova's government won a vote of confidence in the National Council on 10 August. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 12 June 2010 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
4'362'369
2'566'779 (58.84%)
2'529'385 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Smer - Social Democracy (Smer-SD) |
150 |
880'111 |
|
|
34.80 |
|
|
| Slovak Democratic and Christian Union - Democratic Party (SDKU - DS) |
150 |
390'042 |
|
|
15.42 |
|
|
| Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) |
148 |
307'287 |
|
|
12.15 |
|
|
| Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) |
150 |
215'755 |
|
|
8.53 |
|
|
| Most-Híd |
150 |
205'538 |
|
|
8.13 |
|
|
| Slovak National Party (SNS) |
148 |
128'490 |
|
|
5.08 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Gain/Loss |
|
|
|
| Smer - Social Democracy (Smer-SD) |
62
|
12 |
|
|
|
| Slovak Democratic and Christian Union - Democratic Party (SDKU - DS) |
28
|
-3 |
|
|
|
| Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) |
22
|
|
|
|
|
| Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) |
15
|
1 |
|
|
|
| Most-Híd |
14
|
|
|
|
|
| Slovak National Party (SNS) |
9
|
-11 |
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
127
23
15.33%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
21 to 30 years
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
|
5
35
48
51
11
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
| Finance
management or business |
37 |
| Architect
surveyor
engineer |
20 |
| Education profession |
20 |
| Legal profession |
18 |
| Economist |
14 |
| Physician
dentist |
14 |
| Civil service and local authority administration |
12 |
| Research/sciences |
10 |
| Others |
5 |
| Writer
literary
artist |
5 |
| Journalism
broadcasting
media |
4 |
| Political party official |
2 |
| Social worker |
2 |
|
| Comments |
Sources:
National Council (03.03.2011
18.03.2011)
http://app.statistics.sk/nrsr_2010/menu/indexV.jsp?lang=en
Note on "Distribution of seats according to profession"
Some members have listed more than one primary occupation. |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
