Eurozone vote triggers shift in alliances

In the wake of parliament’s ratification of measures to expand the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and a vote to set the date for early general elections on 10 March, 2012, “Fico is no longer a taboo for the right,” remarks SME. The daily explains that Robert Fico, the leader of the social-democratic Smer party, which until earlier this week was the opposition ally of nationalist and populist parties, now has an open door for post-election discussions with the outgoing centre-right coalition. “The link across the political spectrum is not necessarily an incestuous or disloyal one, argues SME, at a time when it appears that political alliances are undergoing an adjustment prompted by the issue of Slovakia’s participation in the EFSF. As the newspaper points out, “In difficult times, it may even amount to a recommended mode of government.”