Slovak parliamentary election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The 2006 parliamentary elections in Slovakia took place on Saturday June 17, 2006. The voters selected 150 representatives for the National Council of the Slovak Republic
. The highest number of seats, 50, was won by left-wing party Direction - Social Democracy
led by Robert Fico
. In total, six parties have achieved 5 percent threshold necessary to secure seats in the National Council. In order to form a new government, Robert Fico will have to find coalition partners among other parties.
Originally the election was planned to occur on September 16, 2006. On February 8, the government proposed to call an early election after the Christian Democratic Movement
left the coalition government. This proposal was passed by the Parliament on February 9 and signed by the President on February 13. Slovak citizens living abroad could for the first time participate in the Slovak election by absentee ballot
s.
On June 28, Robert Fico
, the leader of the winning party announced that the government coalition will consist of his Direction - Social Democracy and two partners: Slovak National Party and People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia. The Party of European Socialists
criticized this decision because of nationalist statements of the leader of the Slovak National Party and subsequently suspended Smer's membership. On July 4, Fico became Prime Minister.
National Council of the Slovak Republic
The National Council of the Slovak Republic , abbreviated to NR SR, is the national parliament of Slovakia. It is unicameral, and consists of 150 MPs, who are elected by universal suffrage under proportional representation every four years....
. The highest number of seats, 50, was won by left-wing party Direction - Social Democracy
Direction - Social Democracy
The party Direction – Social Democracy , often abbreviated to Smer, is a centre-left political party in Slovakia. It is led by Robert Fico, who was Prime Minister from 2006 to 2010. It is the largest party in the National Council, with 62 seats....
led by Robert Fico
Robert Fico
Robert Fico served as the Prime Minister of Slovakia from July 4, 2006 to July 8, 2010.He is the leader of the left-wing party Direction – Social Democracy . The party won the parliamentary elections in 2006, receiving approximately 30 percent of the cast votes...
. In total, six parties have achieved 5 percent threshold necessary to secure seats in the National Council. In order to form a new government, Robert Fico will have to find coalition partners among other parties.
Originally the election was planned to occur on September 16, 2006. On February 8, the government proposed to call an early election after the Christian Democratic Movement
Christian Democratic Movement
The Christian Democratic Movement is a political party in Slovakia.It is represented in the parliament. It was also member of the government coalition, but it left that coalition on 7 February 2006 due to disputes over an international treaty between Slovakia and the Holy See dealing with the...
left the coalition government. This proposal was passed by the Parliament on February 9 and signed by the President on February 13. Slovak citizens living abroad could for the first time participate in the Slovak election by absentee ballot
Absentee ballot
An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station. Numerous methods have been devised to facilitate this...
s.
Parties participating in the election
The following political parties were running in the election: http://www.statistics.sk/nrsr_2006/angl/info/strany.jsp- Left-wing Bloc (Ľavicový blok)
- Party of Civil Solidarity (Strana občianskej solidarity)
- Mission 21 - New Christian Democracy (Misia 21 - Nová kresťanská demokracia)
- Party of the Democratic Left (Strana demokratickej ľavice)
- Union of the Workers of SlovakiaUnion of the Workers of Slovakia-History:The ZRS split from the Party of the Democratic Left in 1994. In the Slovak parliamentary election in 1994 the party gained 7,34 % of the votes an 13 seats in parliament. Although calling themselves "agrarian-left" the deputies entered the coalition of the gaullist-christ democrat People's...
(Združenie robotníkov Slovenska) - Christian Democratic MovementChristian Democratic MovementThe Christian Democratic Movement is a political party in Slovakia.It is represented in the parliament. It was also member of the government coalition, but it left that coalition on 7 February 2006 due to disputes over an international treaty between Slovakia and the Holy See dealing with the...
(Kresťanskodemokratické hnutie) - Slovak National Coalition - Slovak Mutuality (Slovenská národná koalícia - Slovenská vzájomnosť)
- Alliance of the New CitizenAlliance of the New CitizenThe Alliance of the New Citizen is a liberal party in Slovakia. The abbreviation ANO also means YES in Slovak. It was a member of the government coalition from October 2002 to September 2005. Its leader Pavol Rusko is the founder and former owner of Markíza and he was the Minister of Economics...
(Aliancia Nového Občana) - Movement for DemocracyMovement for Democracy (Slovakia)The Movement for Democracy is a political party in Slovakia split from the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia in 2002. The first leader of the party was Ivan Gašparovič, the current president of Slovakia...
(Hnutie za demokraciu) - Party of the Hungarian CoalitionParty of the Hungarian CoalitionThe Party of the Hungarian Coalition, officially registered under the compound name Strana maďarskej koalície – Magyar Koalíció Pártja, is a political party in Slovakia, for the ethnic Hungarian minority...
(Strana maďarskej koalície - Magyar Koalíció Pártja) - Free ForumFree ForumThe Free Forum is a political party in Slovakia, founded in 2004 by dissident parliamentarians from the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union . Zuzana Martináková is the leader of the party....
(Slobodné fórum) - Civic Conservative PartyCivic Conservative PartyThe Civic Conservative Party , abbreviated to OKS, is a centre-right liberal conservative political party in Slovakia. It has four seats in the National Council, which it won in an electoral alliance with Most–Híd at the 2010 election, and the party's four MPs sit in the Most–Híd parliamentary...
(Občianska konzervatívna strana) - Prosperita Slovenska
- People's Party - Movement for a Democratic SlovakiaPeople's Party - Movement for a Democratic SlovakiaThe People's Party – Movement for a Democratic Slovakia , abbreviated to ĽS-HZDS or usually HZDS, is a national conservative political party in Slovakia...
(Ľudová strana - Hnutie za demokratické Slovensko) - Agrarian and Countryside PartyAgrarian and Countryside PartyAgrarian and Countryside Party, or ASV is a political party in Slovakia.In 2009, the party ran for the 2009 European Parliament elections with an electoral list headed by Peter Kopecký., March 20, 2009, Kopecký, vice president of the EUDemocrats had previously unsuccessfully tried to found his...
(Agrárna strana vidieka) - Communist Party of SlovakiaCommunist Party of SlovakiaThe Communist Party of Slovakia is a communist party in Slovakia, formed in 1992, through the merger of the Communist Party of Slovakia – 91 and the Communist League of Slovakia.According to Luboš Blaha the KSS supported the government of Robert Fico....
(Komunistická strana Slovenska) - Slovak People's PartySlovak People's PartyThe Slovak People's Party was a Slovak right-wing party and was described as a fascist and...
(Slovenská ľudová strana) - Slovak Democratic and Christian Union - Democratic PartySlovak Democratic and Christian Union - Democratic PartyThe Slovak Democratic and Christian Union – Democratic Party is a liberal conservative political party in Slovakia.-Ideology:SDKU-DS is a centre-right party, and recently, after the general elections, is talking with their centre right partners to form a new government...
(Slovenská demokratická a kresťanská únia - Demokratická strana) - Direction - Social DemocracyDirection - Social DemocracyThe party Direction – Social Democracy , often abbreviated to Smer, is a centre-left political party in Slovakia. It is led by Robert Fico, who was Prime Minister from 2006 to 2010. It is the largest party in the National Council, with 62 seats....
(SMER - sociálna demokracia) - Slovak National Party (Slovenská národná strana)
- HOPE - NÁDEJ
Formation of the government
Based on the mandates secured, and given that 76 seats are required to form a majority government, the following government combinations were among the most likely: http://www.slovakspectator.sk/clanok.asp?cl=23670- Smer+SNS+HZDS = 85 seats
- Smer+SMK+KDH = 84 seats
- Smer+SNS+KDH = 84 seats
- Smer+SDKU = 81 seats
- SDKU+SMK+HZDS+KDH = 80 seats
On June 28, Robert Fico
Robert Fico
Robert Fico served as the Prime Minister of Slovakia from July 4, 2006 to July 8, 2010.He is the leader of the left-wing party Direction – Social Democracy . The party won the parliamentary elections in 2006, receiving approximately 30 percent of the cast votes...
, the leader of the winning party announced that the government coalition will consist of his Direction - Social Democracy and two partners: Slovak National Party and People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia. The Party of European Socialists
Party of European Socialists
The Party of European Socialists is a European political party led by Sergei Stanishev, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The PES comprises social-democratic national-level political parties primarily from Member state of the European Union, as well as other nations of the European continent. The...
criticized this decision because of nationalist statements of the leader of the Slovak National Party and subsequently suspended Smer's membership. On July 4, Fico became Prime Minister.