BRATISLAVA (SITA) - The governing Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) is considering six candidates for the post of Slovakia's President, Tibor Cabaj, chair of the HZDS parliamentary faction, told journalists. He added that not all of them are members of the ruling movement, but he remained silent about whether Augustín Marián Húska, parliamentary vice chair is among them. Húska is the hot candidate of the ruling HZDS for the third round of presidential elections, a source close to the movement confirmed for SITA last Thursday. Húska did not exclude his eventual nomination for SITA. In his own words, his life has never been founded on political conjuncturism, so he has no inferiority complexes towards other candidates. Recently also Slovak Prime Minister Vladimir Mečiar's name resonated as a potential HZDS candidate; however, he argued that he could not leave his movement fellows before the election. The Gordian knot of the HZDS presidential candidate should be cut at a Saturday sitting of the HZDS all-republic board. On Monday the ruling coalition, holding its regular weekly talks, failed to reach a consensus upon its common candidate. On Tuesday national dailies reported Ján Slota, head of the Slovak National Party as indicating that Vice Prime Minister Jozef Kalman, whose possible candidacy was recently announced by his ZRS, will not accept his candidacy. HZDS deputies are not going to back the Party of the Democratic Left (SDL) proposal suggesting the announcement of a referendum on direct presidential election and the transfer of some of the president's competencies to the speaker of parliament. This referendum is for nothing, said Cabaj evaluating the proposal. Both questions embraced in the SDL proposal are only of a consultative nature. In reaction, Cabaj pointed at the Cabinet's promise to submit a proposal for a constitutional law on the direct presidential election to Parliament if Slovakia will not

have a head of state by July 1. Cabaj is sure that the Cabinet's proposal will reach Parliament prior to the referendum. Thus, he alleges that the SDL it is only playing a political game.