national populism and slovak – hungarian relations in - MEK

Kálmán PetõczNational Populism and Slovak – Hungarian Relations in Slovakia 2006 – 2009. Forum Minority Research Institute Šamorín – Somorja, 2009is why the decision to form the incumbent administration after the 2006elections was the most logical choice in terms of reflecting involved parties’voters’ value orientations. The election slogan advertised by IvanGašparoviè before the 2009 presidential elections (“I think nationally andfeel socially”) astutely reflected true views and value orientations of a significantshare of voters of the SMER-SD – ¼S-HZDS – SNS – KSS bloc.In order to capture and express this bloc’s value orientation, we dubbed ita bloc of nationally and socially oriented parties or a national-populist bloc.In line with analyses of these parties’ policies and strategies presented inother chapters of this publication, we intend to use these two terms interchangeablyor as synonyms.The principal focus of this study is electoral behaviour of citizens wholive in southern Slovakia, particularly those of Slovak origin. When examiningthe connection between national populism and Slovak–Hungarian relations,our basic hypothesis was that the key to both issues lay in southernSlovakia. Its essence is to define a mutually acceptable model of both communities’coexistence in situations when ethnic Hungarians form a minority(be it on the national, regional or local level) as well as in situations whenthey form a numerical majority (be it on the micro-regional or local level).Substantially lower support for the national-populist bloc among Slovakvoters from the south compared to those from the north seems to corroboratethe hypothesis on peaceful coexistence of Slovaks and ethnic Hungarians insouthern Slovakia that is only disturbed by politicians’ insensitive interventionsfrom above; however, if electoral behaviour of Slovaks from the southand from the north failed to show marked differences, it would imply a necessityto revise many elements of minority policy pursued by the governmentas well as by relevant political parties (both majority and minority ones). Thepoint is that in such a case, critical masses of two electorate segments thatare diametrically different in terms of professed values would inevitably clashin southern Slovakia; needless to say, none of these two segments would everbe completely satisfied with their status.Defining the Terms of Southern Slovakia, Ethnically MixedTerritory and Territory Inhabited by Ethnic HungariansIn Slovak as well as Hungarian political and social science, let alone mediavernacular or colloquial language, the terms of ‘southern Slovakia’, ‘ethnicallymixed territory’ and ‘territory inhabited by ethnic Hungarians’ areused almost as synonyms. The Hungarian specialized literature has coined104