MINORITY GOVERNMENT: WIN SOME, LOSE SOME

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000615

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KCOR LO
SUBJECT: MINORITY GOVERNMENT: WIN SOME, LOSE SOME
LEGISLATIVE REFORMS

REFTEL: BRATISLAVA 524

Sensitive but Unclassified - protect accordingly


1. (U) Summary. Over the past two months, the GOS got some
groundbreaking legislation through Parliament, but also
suffered setbacks in its reform program. Victories included
the anti-discrimination law (reftel) and important anti-
corruption laws. The minority government currently controls
only 68 of 150 seats. It sought support from opposition and
independent MP's, compromises with coalition partners, and
the final laws were sometimes stronger than the original
drafts. The Ministry of Health's controversial reform
package passed the first reading but still faces an uphill
battle. However, the Ministry of Education's university
reform failed to pass after Free Forum members and other
independents did not vote with the coalition. End Summary.

Coalition Rifts Mended with Compromises
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2. (U) The Conflict of Interest Law, which mandates the
public disclosure of assets for officials, now applies to
all mayors, town councils, members of Parliament, and
regional authorities. The main changes between this bill
and the one originally proposed by Justice Minister Daniel
Lipsic is that close relatives are not required to disclose
assets, and a quorom of three-fifths (rather than simple
majority) is necessary for Parliament to begin corruption
proceedings against a member. Jan Hrubala, the Director of
the Government Office for Anti-Corruption Initiatives, told
poloffs that the compromise kept the integrity of the law
intact. He said it had been necessary to gain support from
most MPs and appease regional authorities wary of new
regulations imposed by the national government. To help
implement the law, the government will seek approval of
a bill to expand the powers of local auditors.


3. (U) Parliament also passed the highly politicized anti-
discrimination law (see reftel),which coalition partners
had debated for years. Hrubala said the government planned
to amend 20 other laws with blanket anti-discrimination
clauses to further protect vulnerable populations.

Non-Partisan Judicial Reform Easily Approved
--------------


4. (U) Minister Lipsic's reorganization of the judicial
system sailed through Parliament. The American Bar
Association and Central Eurasian Iniative (ABA/CEELI)
assisted with the original study that recommended merging
district and regional courts into larger circuit courts.
Larger courts allow increased specialization of judges in
areas such as family or bankruptcy law and cut unnecessary
expenditures. The number of justices on the Supreme Court
will be reduced. They will only hear extraordinary appeals
and interpret the law.

Major Reforms Face Uphill Battle
--------------


5. (SBU) Alliance for the New Citizen (ANO) Health Minister
Zajac`s reform package barely passed the first reading in
Parliament, after contentious public debate. It still faces
strong opposition for the second and third readings. The
Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) Education Minister
Fronc's university reform was rejected. Both plans are
unpopular with employees of the health and education
sectors, even though the government ran targeted public
awareness campaigns. KDH MP Maria Majdova told poloffs that
the coaltion did not have sufficient support within the
ministries to counteract pressure from opposition parties.
The coalition had relied on support from Free Forum and
independent MP's to pass reform-oriented legislation, but
many of them voted against Fronc's law, which would
introduce tuition fees and was therefore unpopular among
students and parents. Fronc will likely submit a modified
bill in September.

Comment
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8. (SBU) The minority government has come to rely on
independent MPs and the Free Form party of former SDKU
members to pass important elements of its reform program,
often amidst claims that the MP's receive favors in
exchange. Vojtech Tkac, chairman of HZDS breakaway party
People's Union (LU),resigned his position because his
deputies frequently voted against their party's platform and
with the coalition. MP's across party lines vote for


government initiatives with broad public support such as the
Conflict of Interest and Anti-Discrimination bills.
Unpopular reforms that have a wider impact on the public,
such as health care and university reform, will be more
difficult for the coalition to push through without a
parliamentary majority. While the government coalition
currently seems certain to hold together until the end of
its term, its weakened position (due to many defections from
the ANO and SDKU parties) presents a tough challenge for
continuing the aggressive reform program.

WEISER


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