HZDS Urges Citizens to Vote in Local Elections

BRATISLAVA (CTK) - The former senior government and now senior opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) of Vladimír Mečiar called on citizens to vote in the forthcoming local elections in a statement which CTK received today. "By voting for candidates of the political parties which despite a few errors and mistakes showed that they were able to build an independent state (...) we will ensure that most of the positive things, which we had achieved, will be maintained in our cities and towns," the HZDS writes. The HZDS won the general election in late September but was not able to form a coalition cabinet and moved into opposition. The local election is to take place on December 18-19. The HZDS said in its statement that a big turnout at the polls and votes for the pro-national parties and movements would prevent an assimilation of Slovaks in their own country as well as economic and political damage which could be done to multinational areas where Slovaks would not be represented in local governments. The HZDS criticised the current government of Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda that it was not willing to maintain positive developments and defend the national and statehood interests of Slovakia. "What is more, the already announced economic steps of the new government - like for example a drastic increase in energy prices, stopping or slowing down infrastructure construction (...) - not only directly endanger the country`s interests but are also a clear step towards a decline in citizen`s living standard," the HZDS writes in the document.