* Centre-right hopes late surge will hand them majority
* PM Fico says is victim of dirty campaign tricks
* Budget, Hungary, corruption dominate vote
By Martin Santa
BRATISLAVA, June 12 (Reuters) - Slovakia's centre-right
opposition parties have a solid chance to win Saturday's
election and topple leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has
been hit by last-minute allegations of a party funding scandal.
Slovaks must choose between economic liberals, whose reforms
led Slovakia into the European Union and earned billions in
foreign investment, and Fico, whose tough stance against big
business and efforts to protect workers appeal to poorer people.
Three final pre-election opinion polls, released on Thursday
[] and Friday [], showed the ruling
leftist SMER party would win the vote but, for the first time,
showed it might not be able to form a majority coalition.
The centre-right SDKU, the strongest opposition party, has
envisaged a coalition with the Christian Democrats (KDH), the
liberal Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and two ethnic Hungarian
parties that would have a majority in the 150-seat parliament.
SDKU leader Iveta Radicova said in a final television debate
on Friday night her party would work to make it easier for
businesses to create jobs, rather than squeezing the sector.
"SDKU's focus is on solutions, creating new jobs, supporting
the middle class and better law enforcement," she said.
Fico retaliated by saying that right-wing policies were only
good for the top-earning elite.
"Solidarity is a word you know nothing about," he said. "You
only see the world through the eyes of the rich, and we see the
world through those of the vast majority."
Analysts say a centre-right government might be better
placed to cut the yawning budget deficit, reduce corruption and
improve strained relations with southern neighbour Hungary.
Bilateral ties, long chilly, have deteriorated further since
the far-right Slovak National Party joined Fico's government in
2006 and since right-winger Viktor Orban won an election in
Hungary in April on a ticket including a fight for the rights of
Hungarian minorities abroad.
Business sees the centre-right as more pro-market, and
especially less hostile to the big utility companies that Fico
has tried to squeeze to guarantee low energy prices.
GREEK BAILOUT PROBLEM
One risk for European partners is that a centre-right
government may refuse to pay its 800 million euro share of the
EU bailout of Greece, showing how the sovereign debt crisis has
eroded European unity and highlighting tensions generated by the
bailout for euro zone debtors. []
Polling stations open at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Saturday and
first results are expected at around 11 p.m. (2100 GMT).
Slovakia, the euro zone's newest and poorest member, is
emerging from recession and needs to further reform its pension
system and reduce government spending to consolidate its fiscal
position. The 2010 fiscal deficit is forecast to be 5.5 percent
of GDP but analysts have said it could rise above 7 percent.
After consistently leading the polls, SMER fell back this
week after Slovak media published a tape recording suggesting
the party received illegal funding in the 2002 election
campaign.
SMER has denied claims that it did not account for some of
its funding in 2002 and accused rivals of illegal smear tactics.
Opposition parties have denied the accusations.
Fico denied the authenticity of the tape and said he had
done nothing wrong. The centre-right opposition has also been
accused of graft.
Former prime minister and SDKU chief Mikulas Dzurinda pulled
out of the election race over accusations of money laundering in
February. Like Fico, he has denied breaking any law.
(Editing by Tim Pearce)
