OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 26, 6 February 1997

SLOVAK COALITION CRISIS BREWING? Jozef Migas, chairman of the opposition
Party of the Democratic Left, noted on 5 February that current relations
among ruling parties resemble the situation during last June's coalition
crisis, CTK reported. In June, disputes over the privatization of
Slovakia's largest financial institutions nearly tore apart the ruling
coalition. Bank privatization was banned until 31 March, however, Prime
Minister Vladimir Meciar now seems intent on carrying through with it,
much to the dismay of the Association of Workers (ZRS), a junior
coalition partner. Although the SNS was the instigator of last summer's
crisis, the party now sides with Meciar. Both the SDL and the ZRS
believe the four biggest financial institutions should not be
privatized. Also on 5 February, Slovak Foreign Ministry spokesman Ivan
Korcok rejected Hungarian accusations that Bratislava is violating
international legal commitments by failing to approve the long-delayed
minority language law, TASR reported. -- Sharon Fisher

HUNGARIAN OPPOSITION LEADER IDENTIFIES TWO SEPARATE POWER GROUPS.
According to Young Democrat Chairman Viktor Orban, there are two
separate power groups emerging within the opposition, Magyar Hirlap
reported on 6 February. Orban said one group includes the Smallholders
Party and the Christian Democrats, while the other includes the Young
Democrats and the Democratic Forum. (All parties have signed cooperation
agreements within each group in preparation for the 1998 general
elections.) Orban added that the country is now mentally ready for a
change of government, and the only question is whether the Smallholders
Party or the Young Democrats will replace the governing Socialists. He
foresees a major defeat for the Socialists in 1998, similar to that of
the Democratic Forum in 1994. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

UPDATE ON HUNGARIAN PRIVATIZATION SCANDAL INVESTIGATION. The parliament
on 4 February voted to lift Laszlo Boldvai's immunity, as requested by
the prosecutor general, Hungarian dailies reported. Boldvai, the
Socialist Party's treasurer and deputy, has been accused of abuse of
influence after it was revealed that he arranged the transfer of 200
million forints ($1.25 million) from a privatization consultant's bank
account to a company linked to the Socialist Party (see OMRI Daily
Digest, 20 January 1997). Tamas Deutsch, deputy of the opposition Young
Democrats and chairman of the parliamentary commission investigating
illegal payments by the state privatization agency (APV) to the outside
consultant, said the commission may shortly see even Prime Minister
Gyula Horn and Free Democrat President Ivan Peto testify. -- Zsofia
Szilagyi
[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Valentina Huber