Slovaks head to the polls – with EU, NATO directives

"This is a major upset. Meciar has been the most popular politician since this country split from Czechoslovakia," says Michal Masecka, a political analyst at the Slovak Institute of Public Affairs. "In 1998, he actually won the elections, but the other parties refused to form a coalition with him, so he was unable to form a government. A conglomeration of small parties had to form a weak government to oppose him. These elections give great hope that Meciar will be finally destroyed."

The atmosphere here is one of disappointment at the choices on the ballot. Most adults questioned say they will vote – but only to keep Meciar and other extremists out of power.

"Voters don't see many options," says Daniel Butora, head of the Slovakia service of Radio Free Europe. "The other main parties are equally corrupt. The primary difference between Meciar and Fico is that Fico is accepted by the West."

Meciar has a reputation as one of modern Europe's greatest orators, and he still has a loyal core of support. He has been compared with both Adolf Hitler and Martin Luther King for his ability to galvanize crowds. "He can convince you of anything, even if you resist," says pharmacist Adriana Demcakova. "I couldn't help but trust him. Now, I see he is corrupt and a liar, but the other politicians are the same. None of them offer any hope."

Unemployment nationwide hovers at 19 percent, and in rural villages like Durcina, northeast of Bratislava, poverty drags down even those who have work. The current government of Mikulas Dzurinda has done little to ease the hard times, and many here want Meciar back. "Lots of politicians make promises, but Mr. Meciar is the only one who really did anything to help older people or the rural poor," says pensioner Josef Knapac. "The West has no right to tell us we can't vote for the man who gave us a better life."

Economists say that Meciar put Slovakia deeply in debt with his populist measures, such as raising pensions, but even his critics often feel uncomfortable about Western influence over the elections. "The pressure from the West is so great that even Meciar's loyal supporters are afraid to vote for him," says Robert Zitnansky, editor of the political weekly Domino Forum. "Many people resent the influence of foreign politicians on our elections. I accept that if we want to join NATO we have to fulfill certain conditions but telling us how to vote is going to far. It is as if the West thinks Slovaks are total idiots."

"I can't exactly blame NATO for trying to influence our elections," says Ms. Demcakova. "They are helping us to get rid of a tyrant. On the other hand, how are we supposed to develop a decent democracy if they tamper with the voters?"

Markus Meckel, vice president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, defends all sides' right to choose. "Slovak citizens have free will to vote for whomever they wish," he said, adding that "on the other hand, Western institutions have free will to express whom they can, and cannot accept as their member."

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