Slovak Leader Accepts Defeat With a Song
Slovak Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar, who dropped from public view after losing a general election last week, finally acknowledged defeat on Wednesday with tears and a brief song of farewell.
Meciar, who led Slovakia to independence amid the peaceful break-up of Czechoslovakia in 1993, appeared on Slovak Television to face the consequences of the combined opposition’s resounding victory.
Meciar’s disappearance after the elections on Friday and Saturday led to political uncertainty because, despite his government’s defeat, his Movement for a Democratic Slovakia remained the largest single party by a slim margin.
By tradition, he therefore had the right to be the first to try to form a government. Opposition media speculated that he would use any means to lure an opposition party into his fold.
But potential allies made it plain they would not join him, and Meciar said he had no choice but to face up to reality.
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