Background: In 1918 the Slovaks joined the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II Czechoslovakia became a communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia has experienced more difficulty than the Czech Republic in developing a modern market economy.
Ethnic groups: Slovak 85.7% Hungarian 10.6% Gypsy 1.6% (the 1992 census figures underreport the Gypsy/Romany community which is about 500,000) Czech Moravian Silesian 1.1% Ruthenian and Ukrainian 0.6% German 0.1% Polish 0.1% other 0.2% (1996)
Independence: 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech and Slovak Republics)
National holiday: Slovak Constitution Day 1 September (1992); Anniversary of Slovak National Uprising 29 August (1944)
Constitution: ratified 1 September 1992 fully effective 1 January 1993; changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president
Legal system: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
Legislative branch: unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members are elected on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court judges are elected by the National Council; Constitutional Court judges appointed by president from group of nominees approved by the parliament
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Jan CARNOGURSKY]; Coexistence [Miklos DURAY]; Democratic Party or DS [Jan LANGOS]; Democratic Union or DU [Lubomir HARACH]; Hungarian Christian Democratic Movement or MKDH [Bela BUGAR]; Hungarian Civic Party or MOS [Laszlo A. NAGY]; Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR]; Party of Civic Understanding or SOP [Pavol HAMZIK]; Party of Greens in Slovakia or SZS [Ladislav AMBROS]; Party of the Democratic Center or SDS [Ivan MJARTAN]; Party of the Democratic Left or SDL [Jozef MIGAS]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK (includes MKDH MOS and Coexistence) [Bela BUGAR]; Slovak Democratic Coalition or SDK (includes KDH DS DU SSDS SZS) [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Anna MALIKOVA]; Social Democratic Party of Slovakia or SSDS [Jaroslav VOLF]; SMER [Robert FICO]
International organization participation: Australia Group BIS BSEC (observer) CCC CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD ECE EU (applicant) FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Inmarsat Intelsat (nonsignatory user) Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU NAM (guest) NSG OPCW OSCE PCA PFP UN UNCTAD UNDOF UNESCO UNIDO UNTSO UPU WEU (associate partner) WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO ZC
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top) blue and red superimposed with the Slovak cross in a shield centered on the hoist side; the cross is white centered on a background of red and blue
Economy overview: Slovakia continues the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. It started 1999 faced with a sharp slowdown in GDP growth large budget and current account deficits fast-growing external debt and persisting corruption but made considerable progress toward achieving macroeconomic stabilization later in the year. Tough austerity measures implemented in May cut the overall fiscal deficit from 6% in 1998 to under 4% of GDP and the current account deficit was halved to an estimated 5% of GDP. Slovakia was invited by the EU in December to begin accession negotiations early in 2000. Foreign investor interest although rising has not yet led to actual deals; several credit rating agencies have upgraded their outlook for the country. However Slovakia's fiscal position remains weak; inflation and unemployment remain high; and the government is only now addressing the structural problems inherited from the MECIAR period such as large inefficient enterprises an insolvent banking sector and high inter-company debts and declining tax and social support payments. Furthermore the government faces considerable public discontent over the government's austerity package persistent high unemployment - which reached an all-time high of 20% in December 1999 - rising consumer prices reduced social benefits and declining living standards. Real GDP is forecast to stagnate in 2000; inflationary pressures will remain strong due to further price liberalization; and little scope exists for further fiscal consolidation in the 2000 budget which is based on rosier assumptions than nearly all private forecasts.
Industries: metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity gas coke oil nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers; machinery; paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport vehicles; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products
Disputes international: ongoing Gabcikovo Dam dispute with Hungary; agreement with Czech Republic signed 24 November 1998 resolves issues of redistribution of former Czechoslovak federal property - approval by both parliaments is expected in 2000