On November 9th, Slovaks and foreigners residing in Slovakia will chose the heads of the country’s 8 administrative regions, the so called župan, and the representatives in their regional councils.
These regions have been created in 2001 as part of the decentralisation process aimed at helping locals attract funds from the European Union in order to cut the economic gap between various parts of the country. European funds and their efficient drawing is also the leitmotif of this year’s elections. For the first time, the invitations to the elections were sent in six different languages of the ethnic minorities living in Slovakia, however, an English translation for foreigners was not provided. The attendance is not expected to be high, in the 2009 elections, only 22.9% of registered voters attended. According to the analyst Ján Baránek form the Polis agency, Slovaks are still unsure about the purpose and competences of the self-governing regions.
