A new morning

Yesterday's elections, and especially the counting of the results were quite an experience. The day was hot and humid; as if time was ruthlessly stalling. After my better-half went voting, we attended a local ceramics market festival in our town, which felt like trying to read a pleasant book before going to the dentist. In the evening, right before the closing of polls, a severe thunderstorm broke out. On Facebook, I jokingly added, whether this was a sign from above that Fico's era has ended.

After the polling stations finally closed - due to the said thunderstorm, there was a brown-out and the polling stations had to close approximately 45 minutes later than planned - so the whole nation was glued to the TV to get the first results; be it only estimates for the meantime.

The first figures were astonishing, and while the online data, tv discussions and the like continued into the little hours of the morning, the astonishing first projections slowly proved to be fairly exact: The present government was finally sacked, with the greatest achievement, that the dreaded HZDS - after 20 years - was completely out of parliament! 

The outcome is a huge sigh of relief. The victory was far from certain, and especially the relatively high participation in the Bratislava area brought in the necessary votes for change. Comrade Fico has ended up without his most loyal coalition partner - while the second nationalist party got a thorough beating. In all, no possible coalition with Fico. 

After 20 years, Meciar-ism is finally over. Slovakia has gotten a great chance to open the windows wide and let in fresh air. The new-comers SaS - Freedom and Solidarity - as well as Most-Híd - the Hungarian-Slovak party - will certainly bring in the much needed fresh air. The upcoming days will show, whether the will to move away from a bolshevik styled meciarist oligarchs is indeed there. 

Now the priorities should be a thorough restructuring of the state budget, equally the judicial system. But also propel the media into a more professional and democratic tool of controlling the public sector, as it should be. We should not be complacent yet - there is much to be done. But it is a new morning and indeed one, where we look forward to the new day with new energy. And yes, it is a calm, sunny and peaceful Sunday! Slovakia, congratulations! Make it a great day.

MS