RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol 2, No. 192, 5 October 1998

SLOVAK EX-COMMUNISTS DON'T WANT ETHNIC HUNGARIANS IN
COALITION. Jozef Migas, the chairman of the Party of the
Democratic Left (SDL), said on 2 October that his party
opposes forming a coalition government that would include the
Hungary Coalition Party (SMK), SITA reported. Migas said
after talks with SMK leaders that the "optimal solution"
would be to have a coalition consisting of the SDL, the
Slovak Democratic Coalition, and the Party of Civic
Understanding. Migas did not say why his party, the reformed
Communists, opposes the SMK, but he added that he has not
ruled out further talks with the ethnic Hungarian party.
Without the SMK, the coalition proposed by Migas would have
78 of the 150 seats in the parliament--short of the 90 votes
needed to make changes to the constitution. PB

SOCIALISTS WITHDRAW BUDAPEST MAYORAL CANDIDATE. The Budapest
branch of the opposition Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP)
decided on 4 October to withdraw Bela Katona as the party's
Budapest mayoral candidate in the 18 October local elections.
By a vote of 110 to 50, the MSZP delegates also decided to
support incumbent Mayor Gabor Demszky of the Free Democrats,
thus favoring "the unity of democratic forces and preventing
a victory of the right wing." Demszky welcomed the decision ,
saying it greatly helps his chances of reelection. Janos
Latorcai, the Federation of Young Democrats and Democratic
Forum candidate, said that by withdrawing Katona , the MSZP
is openly acknowledging in advance its defeat in the local
elections. According to public opinion polls, Demszky has the
support of 65 percent of decided voters, followed by Latorcai
(27 percent). Katona was favored by only 6 percent of the
Budapest electorate. MSZ

ETHNIC HUNGARIANS TO REMAIN IN ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT. The
Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR), decided on
3 October to remain in the ruling coalition, AP reported. The
decision was reached at the party's headquarters in the
Transylvanian city of Targu Mures. The party said it does not
want to be blamed for a failure of the economic reforms. The
UDMR had threatened to leave the coalition because the
government refused to establish a Hungarian-language
university. The government said last week it would set up a
German-Hungarian university, a move that has been criticized
by many Romanian politicians. PB

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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol 2, No. 193, 6 October 1998

SLOVAK PARTIES DISAGREE OVER ELECTION OF PRESIDENT. The
parties likely to form the next Slovak coalition government
disagree over the means of electing the next president, the
daily "Sme" reported on 6 October. The Slovak Democratic
Coalition and the Hungarian Coalition Party want a popular
presidential election, while the Party of Civic Understanding
and the Party of the Democratic Left want the parliament to
quickly elect a new president for a two-year term and then
hold a popular election when that term expires. Slovakia has
been without a president since Michal Kovac's term expired on
2 March. In other news, Wolfgang Schuessel, foreign minister
of Austria, which currently holds the EU rotating presidency,
said on 5 October in Luxembourg that the EU would like to see
the new Slovak government formed as soon as possible. He said
it is premature to predict if Slovakia can be added to the
first wave of candidates for EU integration. PB

HUNGARY TO JOIN EU FIRST? EU Industry Commissioner Martin
Bangemann on 5 October told Hungarian Economics Minister
Attila Chikan that Hungary will be the first country among
those aspiring for membership to join the EU. After a private
meeting in Vienna, Chikan told reporters that Bangemann
talked about the possibility of Hungary's EU membership in
2002 with "pleasing unambiguity." In other news, Defense
Minister Janos Szabo and his Slovenian counterpart, Alojz
Krapez, signed an agreement in Misefa, Hungary, on military
cooperation and the protection of classified military
information. Szabo said Hungary believes NATO "must be open
toward Slovenia." MSZ

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               Copyright (c) 1998 RFE/RL, Inc.
                     All rights reserved.
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