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| Slovakia election: Fico's Smer party tipped to win | Slovakia election: Fico's Smer party tipped to win |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Polls have opened in Slovakia's general election, with former prime minister Robert Fico tipped to emerge as the winner. | |
| Opinion polls show Mr Fico's Smer social democrats poised to heavily defeat outgoing PM Iveta Radicova's centre-right SDKU. | Opinion polls show Mr Fico's Smer social democrats poised to heavily defeat outgoing PM Iveta Radicova's centre-right SDKU. |
| However, analysts predict a low turnout with many voters disillusioned by corruption scandals. | However, analysts predict a low turnout with many voters disillusioned by corruption scandals. |
| Anti-corruption protesters clashed with police in Bratislava on Friday. | Anti-corruption protesters clashed with police in Bratislava on Friday. |
| Protest organisers called on Slovaks not to vote for the established political parties, which they say have all been tainted by scandal. | Protest organisers called on Slovaks not to vote for the established political parties, which they say have all been tainted by scandal. |
| About 300 demonstrators pelted police with stones and eggs and officers used tear gas to keep them from storming parliament. | About 300 demonstrators pelted police with stones and eggs and officers used tear gas to keep them from storming parliament. |
| The election comes two years' early after an SDKU-led coalition collapsed last October when one of its junior members refused to back the expansion of the eurozone's bailout fund. | The election comes two years' early after an SDKU-led coalition collapsed last October when one of its junior members refused to back the expansion of the eurozone's bailout fund. |
| However, at the heart of the recent unrest is a file known as "Gorilla" - allegedly compiled by Slovakia's spy agency - that appeared on the internet in December suggesting that the financial group Penta bribed most parties in the 1998-2006 centre-right government of then-Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda. | However, at the heart of the recent unrest is a file known as "Gorilla" - allegedly compiled by Slovakia's spy agency - that appeared on the internet in December suggesting that the financial group Penta bribed most parties in the 1998-2006 centre-right government of then-Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda. |
| With the SDKU badly damaged by the scandal, the most recent opinion polls show Mr Fico is likely to win about 39% of the vote and take 75 seats, just one short of a majority in the 150-member parliament. | With the SDKU badly damaged by the scandal, the most recent opinion polls show Mr Fico is likely to win about 39% of the vote and take 75 seats, just one short of a majority in the 150-member parliament. |
| The SDKU, on the other hand, is expected to see support drop to about 5% - the threshold to enter parliament. | The SDKU, on the other hand, is expected to see support drop to about 5% - the threshold to enter parliament. |
| Polls close at 21:00 GMT. |