wh y w e l o s t
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only in the context of the peculiarities of Slovakia’s social transformation after the fall of the
Communist regime. Therefore, a more detailed description and analysis is needed of the
developments that preceded the electoral victories of center-right parties in 1998 and 2002.
III. CENTER-RIGHT PARTIES AS INITIATORS
OF SYSTEMIC CHANGES AFTER 1989
In the initial (so-called “federal”) period of transformation, the Slovak center-right par-
ties’ policy symbolized the effort to conduct systemic changes and to build the basis for
a democratic political system and a market economy. These parties achieved remarkably
good results in the first free elections in 1990. Their success, however, was connected
mostly with the plebiscitary character of the elections as a vote against Communism. For
a considerable part of the population in 1990, the VPN and KDH symbolized a victory
over the Communist regime in November 1989. However, their ideological and political
profile was not yet fully developed.
Total support for the VPN, KDH and DS represented 53% of valid votes in 1990. The coalition
of two Hungarian political formations (MKDH and Coexistence), which had declared them-
selves as non-left parties, won almost 9% of votes. Their electoral support, however, stemmed
from ethnic voting on the part of Hungarians living in Slovakia. After the elections, VPN,
KDH and DS created a coalition government. Two members of this government – VPN and
KDH – also became members of the Czechoslovak federal coalition government.
The policy of radical systemic changes in Slovakia, introduced by the federal and Slovak gov-
ernments, was quickly met with resistance by a significant part of the population. The big-
gest disagreement was provoked by economic changes. Inflation, price growth and a rapid
rise in unemployment were perceived by many Slovaks as a result of the process of economic
liberalization. The so-called “Klaus shock therapy” became a negative symbol of the market
economy. Political forces quickly capitalized on resistance to the “shock therapy” method of
economic transformation, as well as on people’s disappointment with “federal” economic
policy. However, no left-wing parties benefited from the public’s dissatisfaction, and it was
the national-populist forces that successfully mobilized the voters.
IV. INITIAL CONflICTS: DEFYING REFORMS
AND CONTROVERSY OVER THE STATE
MODEL FOR CZECHOSLOVAKIA
The issue of the state model of Czechoslovakia interrupted the process of formation of a
basic configuration of political forces in Slovakia in the early 1990s. An opinion clash be-
tween supporters of preserving the common Czechoslovak federative state and adherents
of other solutions
1
was added to the one between supporters and opponents of systemic
1
These solutions varied fromunclear models of confederation and union under which two republics would oper-
ate as states with absolute state sovereignty, to the entire separation and creation of two independent states.
