The SMK: A party apart?

(From The Slovak Spectator)

Editorial AFTER announcing its plans to form a "Slovak coalition" to weaken the influence of the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) in local government, the opposition parties poured oil on one of its favourite fires: Hungarophobia. Such dousing is nothing new. During the run up to the last regional elections, the parties whipped up warnings about the spreading success of the SMK, and anti-Hungarian sentiment became a uniting theme for several political forces. For example, former Real Slovak National Party (SNS) boss Jan Slota stayed true to his party's nationalist agenda when he alarmed his voters that apathy towards the political process would unwittingly put them in the hands of the Hungarians. With slightly milder rhetoric, Robert Fico conveyed the same message last week on behalf of Smer to its …