1st - According to the latest public opinion polls 32,5% of the voters would elect the SDK (Slovak Democratic Coalition), 22,7% the HZDS (Movement for a Democratic Slovakia), 11,4% the SD¼ (Party of the Democratic Left), 10,9% the MK (Hungarian Coalition). !0,5% of the asked would not take part in the elections and 15,9% did not decide yet.
- The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities of the EU came into force. The Slovak parliament ratified it among the first and according to the Slovak Constitution it is set over the prevailing laws.
2nd - The leaders of the Hungarian Coalition turned by a letter to the parliamentary parties and Government of Hungary in order to push them to ensure the minorities their representation in the parliament on their own after the May elections in Hungary.
3rd - Ernö Rózsa, MP addressed the Chairman in Hungarian causing a storm of indignation in the parliament and demanded that the conditions be ensured for the Hungarian MPs to speak in their mother tongue in the parliament in conformity with the Framework Convention on Minorities. He urged the Chairman again to put the bill on minority language use on the agenda. Though it was the sixth similar try, it was rejected by the parliament.
9th - Since the MPs of the SDK and MK decided not to sit to one table with the representatives of the government coalition, they did not take part at the parliamentary reception of the Finn delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the EC in Bratislava. They protested this way against the repeated infringement of the Constitution by the government coalition which did not solve the question of controversial seats in the parliament.
- The Constitutional Court delivered its decision according to which the Ministry of the Interior violated the constitutional rights of the citizens by the thwarting of the plebiscit last year. Meciar declared - in connection with this decision - that the Constitutional Court violated the Constitution.
11th - György Gyimesi, the leader of the Hungarian People´s Movement announced that his movement is preparing a joint political platform with the Slovak Communist Party and the Slovak Social Democratic Union. (The a.m. movement is serving the present government with ample financial grants and is trying to split the Hungarians of Slovakia.)
12th - The opposition parties called upon Gustáv Krajèí, the Minister of the Interior to resign with reference to the decision of the Constitutional Court. Krajèí namely took over the responsibility for the thwarting of the plebiscit.
13th - A platform erose within the Hungarian Civic Party supporting the establishment of a united party created from the Hungarian Coalition.
15th - The leaders of the SDK and MK visited Germany where they had appointments with the representatives of the parliament and Chancellor´s Office who stressed the necessity to fulfil completely the expectations put forward to Slovakia.
- The Carpathian Euro-region was established 5 years ago. The institution supporting the co-operation over the borders was joined officially by Hungary, Poland, Ukraine and Rumania, Slovakia is only an associated member since the government is suspicious towards the organization.
16th - The SDK organized a conference in Bratislava on minority policy. The experts discussed their ideas on the solutions of the problematic questions.
19th - The competent representative of the Ministry of the Interior announced that according to the amendment of the election law the election campaign may be launched only in the Slovak Television and in the Slovak Radio. He stressed the police will intervene in every case of offence against law and order in conformity with the named law, even in presence of MPs.
20th - The representatives of public life and the local politicians of Coexistence and Hungarian Civic Party of Komárno, Dunajská Streda and Nové Zámky districts appealed to the leaders of the MKDH (Hungarian Christian Democratic Movement) to continue the preparatory negotiations for the establishment of a united party since in their view only a united Hungarian party is an unattackable alternative for the Meciar-movement. The MKDH qualified the appeal a political piracy.
26th - Ján Cuper, one of the leading personalities of the HZDS declared the HZDS would not support the nomination of Ladislav Ballek for the presidency since the candidate of the SD¼ was acceptable for the Hungarian Coalition, too and the vast majority of the Slovaks would never overlook the government party the support of such a candidate.
27th - The daily Práca published the speech of Meciar held on January 24th on the session of the country presidium of HZDS. Meciar - among others - announced that his movement aims at the establishment of a one-party-government and at the change of the political system. He also told the State administration bodies would be drawn into the preparations of the elections.