Slovakia to hold referendum on early elections

The referendum on early elections in Slovakia will coincide with the first round of the presidential elections on 3 April 2004.

The parties in the ruling righ-leaning four-party coalition have criticised the move, arguing that the decision was driven by Mr Schuster's desire to win the votes of those opposed to the current government in his quest for re-election as president. The current coalition controls 68 of the 150 seats in Parliament.

The referendum was initiated by the trade unions, which enjoy backing from the political left. The petition to call early elections was signed by a record 606,000 Slovak citizens.

According to analysts, the merging of the two votes could in principle increase voter turnout. However, only one referendum has been successful in Slovakia since 1992. Under Slovak law, turnout must exceed 50 per cent of registered voters for a referendum to succeed.

Opinion polls show Mr Schuster trailing the coalition's presidential candidate, Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan, and former Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar.