NATIONALIST POPULISM AND POST-COMMUNISM

Malíková, the SNS leader, called for the development of an autochthonous Slovak policy, which would represent the Slovak interests and would not be subordinated to those who “listen to orders from the EU and the Pentagon” 175 . Robert Fico from the SMER accused Prime Minister Dzurinda and the Minister of Finance Mikloš of an “economic betrayal of the motherland” 176 , while the deputies of the KSS openly spoke about the Western “colonisation” of Slovakia 177 . The nationalist populist accent was quite apparent in the message of the SDĽ leader Ladislav Koncoš, who argued that “Slovak land should belong to the Slovaks” only 178 . As already indicated above, where the animosity toward “others” is concerned, especially anti-Hungarian and to a lesser extent anti-Roma attitudes shaped the political discourse. The apparent presence of an anti-US attitude was another feature of the 2002 discourse, even though the increase in anti-American sentiment was not based on an ethnic principle, but rather on a negative assessment of the US policy in Iraq. The most vocal parties – KSS and HZDS – accused the US of increasing tensions in the Middle East in order to safeguard its economic interests. In the words of Miroslav Maxon, one of the HZDS leaders, “the image of the violent Middle East is to a large extent created by America” 179 . Jozef Ševc from the KSS went even further, criticising Prime Minister Dzurinda for “building his career on the blood of Iraqi children” 180 . The situation in the field of Slovak-Czech relations improved significantly, especially when compared to the beginning of the 1990s. The absence of the “Czech factor” in the 2002 media discourse in Slovakia might be explained by the improving Czech-Slovak relations after the split of the ČSFR, as well as by the urgency of other issues, among which the Slovak-Hungarian relations played a significant role. With the exception of ANO, all the significant political parties in Slovakia – both Slovak and Hungarian – contributed to the media discourse with nationalist populist statements. On the Slovak side, the adoption of the Hungarian Status Act and the ongoing pre-election campaign in Hungary triggered particularly negative emotions. Apart from the nationalist parties – SNS and PSNS –SDĽ, SMER and HZDS belonged to the most active players. 175 Interview with Anna Malíková, SNS leader. Pravda (August 7, 2002), p. 4. 176 Interview with Robert Fico, SMER leader. Pravda (September 19, 2002), p. 5. 177 Statement of several KSS deputies on the Program Declaration of the Government. Pravda (November 14, 2002), p. 2. 178 Statement of Pavol Koncoš, SDĽ leader, from a pre-paid advertisement published in Pravda . 179 Statement of Miroslav Maxon, MP , during the parliamentary debate on Iraq. Pravda (February 7, 2003), p. 2. 180 Statement of Jozef Ševc, KSS leader, during the demonstration against the war in Iraq. Pravda (February 4, 2003), p. 2.

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