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, 2009Map 8Areas of national and social populism’s influence in Slovakia by district 27 ,correlation between gains of Mr. Meèiar in 1999 and Mr. Gašparoviè in2009Source: Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic; author’s own calculations1.04 -- - 1.201.22 - 1.391.40 - - 1.601.61 - 2.50The data were obtained by a mutual comparison of election results posted byVladimír Meèiar in the 1999 presidential elections and by Ivan Gašparovièten years later. The coefficients that were used to produce the cartogramexpress the ratio between both candidates’ election results in the second roundof presidential elections. In his campaign, Mr. Meèiar chose the image of anational populist (i.e. founder of independent Slovakia, protector of its nationaland state interests, campaigner against Hungarian irredentism and interestsof foreign powers, advocate of state property’s privatization into ‘Slovak’hands, etc.). Mr. Gašparoviè, for his part, was relatively successful in portrayinghimself as an uncompromising defender of Slovakia’s national andstate interests who was simultaneously a common man with strong socialfeelings. Obviously, this image worked out in his campaign against IvetaRadièová better than Vladimír Meèiar’s image in his duel with RudolfSchuster, for at least two reasons: first, Mr. Schuster based his own campaignon social populism; second, Mrs. Radièová represented a party that wasdirectly responsible for ‘insensitive’ socio-economic reforms. A comparisonof districts with the highest responsiveness to national-populist messages(located especially in north-western Slovakia) to maps depicting regional pat-124