News digest: Slovaks' unwillingness to defend their country

Juraj Slafkovský has a reason to love Montreal and a new finding regarding last week's fatal train-bus accident.

By: spectator.sme.sk

Jul 02 2024
18
2748 Views

News digest: Slovaks' unwillin

Good evening. Here is the Tuesday, July 2 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

Most Slovaks would not defend Slovakia, a poll shows

Supporters of the ruling nationalist Slovak National Party (SNS), who often refer to themselves as patriots, would largely refuse to defend their homeland if any country were to attack Slovakia, a May survey by the Ipsos agency for the Central European Digital Media Observatory (CEDMO) shows.

As many as 81 percent of SNS voters, led by Russia-admiring politician Andrej Danko, would refuse to take up arms. Conversely, parties that openly support Ukraine, such as Progressive Slovakia (PS), and other opposition parties, have the most voters who would defend Slovakia against an aggressor. In the case of the PS party, this is 35 percent, the highest among all political parties. The same applies to voters of the ruling Smer party (30 percent), led by Russia-friendly Prime Minister Robert Fico.

In general, only a quarter of the population would be willing to fight against an aggressor in the event of an attack on Slovakia. This is one of the few things on which the deeply divided Slovak society can agree.

In 2023, disinformation media stoked fears of mobilisation, causing tens of thousands of Slovaks to sign declarations refusing to fight in a war.

Related: According to the survey, 14 percent of people in Slovakia wish for a Russian victory in the war in Ukraine, while 33 percent want to see Ukraine as the victor. The rest either desire a temporary peace or could not answer the question. Supporters of the Smer party, as well as the far-right Republika party, are the ones who most wish for a Russian victory. According to the survey, only 16 percent of Slovaks believe that the EU should support Ukraine militarily.

The man who preserves the heritage of American Slovaks

The disappearing heritage of Slovaks in America prompted historian Martin Javor to start preserving it after discovering that his own ancestors had also left for a better life in the USA. But his museum in eastern Slovakia is already full. "I have many ideas, and I also have results," he says in an interview with The Slovak Spectator. However, in addition to space, he would also need financial support for his activities.

EVENT FOR THE LONG WEEKEND

FestDobre

The family festival taking place from July 4 to July 7 at the Ranč pod Babicou farm in the village of Bojná, Nitra Region, is an event that primarily supports minority music genres such as country, folk, bluegrass, and blues.

Tickets (€14-€36) can be purchased here.

IN OTHER NEWS

According to Denník N, a rail track near Nové Zámky, southern Slovakia, where a train collided with a bus carrying passengers last Thursday, had been operational for several tens of minutes before the collision. Transport Minister Jozef Ráž Jr. (Smer nom.) did not fully disclose the causes of the accident last week, focusing mainly on weather conditions and track maintenance as reasons. Denník N reports that while the track was indeed operational, the signalling at the railway crossing where the accident occurred was not activated. The case is still under investigation, but primary responsibility for the accident may lie with the dispatchers at the station in Nové Zámky.
Last Friday, Roman Dorčík, the director of the State Institute for Drug Control (ŠÚKL), dismissed Renáta Baďurová from her position as director of the inspection section without specifying a reason. Baďurová's team and Dorčík's predecessor, Peter Potúček, who was dismissed by Health Minister Zuzana Dolinková (Hlas) at the end of last year, had uncovered illegal drug trading worth millions of euros last spring, involving nearly 30 pharmacies. After more than a year, the ministry has apparently not imposed fines on any of these pharmacies, as reported by the daily Sme. Since taking office, Dolinková has been conducting several purges within the offices under her ministry, dismissing experts from their positions.
Following a shooting attack in mid-May in Handlová, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer) will have permanent health issues. The past weekend, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer) indicated that Fico will likely not be able to walk properly. He did not specify when Fico will appear in public again. "If everything goes well, I could return to work at the end of June or at the start of July," said Fico in a video on June 5.
If parliamentary elections had been held today, the current governing coalition would not have come into existence. According to a survey conducted by Ipsos for Denník N from June 26 to July 1, the Slovak National Party, one of the three coalition parties, would not have secured parliamentary representation. However, Smer and Hlas could have formed a coalition government with the far-right party Republika, which is currently not represented in parliament. Together, they could have held up to 85 out of 150 seats in parliament.
According to the Statistics Office, the average fertility rate in Slovakia rose to 1.57 children per woman in 2022. However, the level necessary to maintain the population, which is 2.1 children per woman, was achieved only in five districts. The highest fertility rate in 2022 was in the district of Sabinov (2.54), followed by the districts of Kežmarok, Stará Ľubovňa, Gelnica, and Námestovo. Except for the last district, which is located in northern Slovakia, all of these districts are located in eastern Slovakia.

WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY: Wednesday's weather will range from partly cloudy to cloudy with occasional showers throughout the day. Patchy morning fog may occur sporadically. Temperatures will vary, ranging from 17°C in the north to 26°C in the south. (SHMÚ)

JULY 3 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Miloslav.

Thank you for subscribing and reading. It means a lot to us.

P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.

Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook and Instagram (@slovakspectator).