SLOVAKS VOTED ON SATURDAY IN THE FIRST ELECTION SINCE JOINING THE EUROPEAN UNION, CHOOSING BETWEEN A RECORD THIRD TERM FOR PRIME MINISTER MIKULAS DZURINDA OR A LEFTIST VOWING TO OVERTURN ECONOMIC REFORMS, ACCORDING TO REUTERS. AN OPINION POLL TAKEN ON FRIDAY, BUT RELEASED AS VOTING ENDED AT 2000 GMT ON SATURDAY, PROJECTED THE LEFTIST SMER WOULD EMERGE AS THE STRONGEST SINGLE PARTY BUT WOULD FALL FAR SHORT OF A MAJORITY. THE POLL SHOWED THE COMBINED TOTAL OF DZURINDA'S PARTY AND TWO POSSIBLE CENTRE-RIGHT ALLIES WAS LIKELY TO BE HIGHER THAN SMER'S SCORE, BUT THAT THE CENTRE-RIGHT WOULD ALSO NOT SECURE A MAJORITY. FIRST EXIT POLL WAS DUE TO BE RELEASED AT 2030 GMT. DZURINDA TOOK THE FORMER COMMUNIST NATION OF 5.4 MILLION INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION IN 2004, CARRIED OUT SWEEPING TAX AND WELFARE REFORMS AND PLANS TO TAKE SLOVAKIA INTO THE EURO ZONE IN 2009. POPULIST SMER LEADER ROBERT FICO HAS CAPITALISED ON REFORM FATIGUE AND VOWED TO REVERSE MANY OF THE CHANGES, SAYING THEY HAVE BENEFITED ONLY THE RICH. "IT'S A CLASSIC BATTLE BETWEEN LIBERAL VALUES, A PARTY OF THE FREE MARKET AND MINIMAL GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION IN THE ECONOMY, AND A PARTY THAT WANTS A STRONG WELFARE STATE AND A SOCIAL SAFETY NET," SAID MARTIN SLOSIARIK, AN ANALYST AT POLLING AGENCY FOCUS. VOTING BEGAN AT 7 A.M. (0500 GMT) AND ENDS AT 10 P.M. RESULTS ARE EXPECTED BY EARLY SUNDAY. AFTER VOTING IN BRATISLAVA, PRESIDENT IVAN GASPAROVIC PREDICTED TURNOUT WOULD BE STRONG AT AROUND 60 PERCENT. BUT AT MANY VOTING STATIONS OFFICIALS SAID PARTICIPATION WAS WEAKER THAN IN THE PREVIOUS ELECTION IN 2002 WHEN 70 PERCENT OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS CAST BALLOTS. --MORE 18/06/2006 00:00 ت م
