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    March 10, 2012

Slovakians Voting In General Elections

   VOA News
   A child puts a vote in a ballot box during a general election in
   Bratislava, Slovakia, Saturday, March 10, 2012. Photo: AP
   A child puts a vote in a ballot box during a general election in
   Bratislava, Slovakia, Saturday, March 10, 2012.

   Slovakians are voting in parliamentary elections Saturday amid a
   bribery scandal some observers say may diminish the turnout.
   A recent poll indicates popular former prime minister Robert Fico's
   Smer-Social Democracy could win half of the seats in the 150-member
   single chamber parliament.
   The Social Democracy party is challenging the outgoing 4-party
   coalition, which may feel the impact of the scandal. The scandal
   involves a financial group caught on secret service wiretaps allegedly
   bribing government politicians. Some analysts believe the public
   fallout will benefit members of smaller parties.
   On Friday, police in riot gear used tear gas and pepper spray to break
   up demonstration in Bratislava, the capital, protesting high-level
   corruption in the government.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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