Slovakia's three party governing coalition is fighting for survival in a parliamentary election on Saturday, challenged in a tight race by the center-right opposition, AP reported. Prime Minister Robert Fico's left-leaning party _ which has promised to maintain the welfare state, in contrast to the budget-cutting being implemented in several other European countries _ appears according to polls to be heading for the largest share of the vote. And the chances of its junior coalition partner, the ultranationalist Slovak National Party of Jan Slota, were boosted by the recent escalation of tension in the traditionally difficult Slovak-Hungarian relations. Yet that may not be enough for a majority because another coalition partner, the party of former authoritarian Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar, might not clear the five-percent threshold necessary for parliamentary representation, polls indicate. A trio of center-right challengers might be able to form a governing coalition with a good election result and support from two ethnic Hungarians parties. -- SPA
