Slovakia is a Central European nation located between the Czech Republic and Austria with a population of around 5.4 million people. The economy of Slovakia is largely dependent on manufacturing, services, agriculture and tourism, with its GDP per capita estimated at US$19,000 in 2017. In terms of foreign relations, Slovakia has strong ties to other countries in the region as well as other countries around the world. It is also a member of the United Nations, European Union (EU) and NATO. In terms of politics, Slovakia has a parliamentary republic which includes two major parties: Direction – Social Democracy (SMER-SD) and Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLaNO). The Parliament consists of 150 members who are elected by popular vote every four years. In 2017, Robert Fico was prime minister and his SMER-SD party held majority in parliamentary elections. See militarynous for Slovakia military and defense.
Yearbook 2017
Slovakia. The right-wing extremist People’s Party Our Slovakia, which was elected to Parliament in 2016, increased its public support. According to Countryaah.com, the party’s nuclear troops conducted well-attended demonstrations, and in March a counter-action was held by anti-fascists marching through Bratislava. Two of the party’s MPs were indicted for incitement against people, which pertained to Roma, Jews and Muslims. In May, the state prosecutor asked the Supreme Court to ban and dissolve the party. It was considered a threat to the country’s democratic system through fascist tendencies that violate constitutional and international agreements. See ABBREVIATIONFINDER for frequently used acronyms and abbreviations related to as well as country profile of Slovakia.
In July, party leader Marian Kotleba was indicted for the use of neo-Nazi symbols. The government decided during the year to establish a special police force against terrorism, extremism and hate crime.
During the spring, a demonstration was held in Bratislava with thousands of participants protesting corruption and demands for the departure of Interior Minister Robert Kaliňak. He had business relationships with a taxpayer-suspected entrepreneur and was accused of hindering the investigation of the case. President Andrej Kiska supported the demand for Kaliňak’s departure, and the street protests grew to about 10,000 participants in June.
Slovakia opposed the EU decision on land quotas for redistributing refugees from Greece and Italy. Slovakia and Hungary had appealed the EU decision, but in September the European Court of Justice rejected the appeal. Prime Minister Robert Fico said that the government respects the court’s ruling but maintains that the European Commission is not entitled to force member states through majority decisions. Slovakia’s quota was 802 of the 160,000 refugees to be redistributed. Up to the court’s decision, the country had received only a few of these.
The Slovak Nationalist Party (SNS) said in August that the party was no longer stuck to the coalition agreement with the Social Democratic Smer-SD and the Hungarian minority party Most-Híd. Government crisis threatened, but the parties managed to negotiate and continue to govern. Prime Minister Fico hinted that a new election would mean success for EU critics and threaten the government’s quest to be part of the EU’s core.
Slovakia had 3,329,793 residents in 1930, with an increase of 11.1% in the decade 1921-30. Demographically, the country is healthy, the birth rate being high, but the surplus is partly lost due to direct emigration, above all to the United States, where the Slovaks form a thriving colony near Chicago; temporary emigration is also frequent as tinsmiths and tinsmiths. The density also varies greatly between neighboring areas, especially in the mountainous region, where the villages gather in the somewhat wider valleys. Relevant are the ethnic minorities. Alongside the Slovaks, who make up about two thirds of the population (68% in 1930 against 58% in 1910, with the caveat that in 1930 the mother tongue was taken into account, while in 1910 the data referred to the language of use), in fact there are 18% of Hungarians (1910: 31%), 5% of Germans, 4% of Cèchi (mostly soldiers and employees) and then again Ruthenians (91,000), Jews (65,000), Poles (1000) and Gypsies. The population is mostly Catholic, but there are also 530,000 Protestants, 194,000 Catholics of the Greek and Armenian rite, 3,000 Greek Orthodox, 2,000 members of the Czechoslovakian church. Illiteracy, which is not too high, varies somewhat according to the populations (15.7% among Slovaks, 10.2% among Jews and Hungarians, 9.5% among Germans). The Germans (148,000) had come to Slovakia still in the Middle Ages as miners, artisans, traders; many are still to be found in the small towns of the village of Spiš (German Zips) and between Hron and Nitra (centered in Kremnica). Of the 572,000 Hungarians, about 400,000 live compactly in a dozen districts along the left bank of the Danube downstream from Bratislava, in the lower reaches of the Váh and near the right bank of the Ipel ‘. Despite the land reform, which caused the transfer of the property of 1448 ha. owned by Hungarian landowners, agricultural conditions have not, however, improved much, the unit yield is rather low, the use of fertilizers low and the cooperation practically unknown. The alpine pastures are also neglected and the livestock is in poor condition. In the upper part where the economy is more backward, attempts are made to integrate pastoralism with livestock farming, while in the valleys and basins it has developed, alongside the cultivation of potatoes and flax, some small industries (textile and mining). Beet fields, orchards, vineyards are widespread above all in the southern part, where the prevailing crop is that of corn. Arable land covers 38.1% of the total, gardens and vineyards 1.1% (8680 ha. Of vineyards with a production of 250 thousand hl. Of wine), ponds and lakes 0.3%, i sterile soils 5%. Slovakia produces 11% of Czechoslovakian sugar, 4% of beer and owns one third of the horses and four fifths of the sheep. Forest areas could yield better profits. of wine), ponds and lakes 0.3%, sterile soils 5%. Slovakia produces 11% of Czechoslovakian sugar, 4% of beer and owns one third of the horses and four fifths of the sheep. Forest areas could yield better profits. of wine), ponds and lakes 0.3%, sterile soils 5%. Slovakia produces 11% of Czechoslovakian sugar, 4% of beer and owns one third of the horses and four fifths of the sheep. Forest areas could yield better profits.