Petőcz Kálmán (szerk.): National Populism and Slovak - Hungarian Relations in Slovakia 2006-2009 (Somorja, 2009)

Kálmán Petőcz: National Populism and Electoral Behaviour

National Populism and Electoral Behaviour

the term of magyarlakta járások, or districts inhabited by Hungarians, that normally include the following 16 districts (listed from west to east): Senec, Dunajská Streda, Galanta, Šaľa, Komárno, Nové Zámky, Nitra, Levice, Veľký Krtíš, Lučenec, Rimavská Sobota, Revúca, Rožňava, Košice area, Trebišov and Michalovce (please see Gyurgyík, 2008).6 The Slovak specialized literature usually refers to these 16 districts as ethnically mixed territory; likewise, various agencies that carry out public opinion polls or sociological surveys consider this territory as the frame of reference for the purpose of selecting samples of ethnic Hungarian respondents.7 However, the total number as well as the overall share of ethnic Hungarians in these districts differ significantly (please see Table 1).

Table 1

Total number and overall share of ethnic Hungarians in particular districts (constituencies) of southern Slovakia according to 1991 and 2001 population censuses

District/constituency

1991

2001

Population

total

Of that: ethnic Hungarians

Share

(%)

Population

total

Of that: ethnic Hungarians

Share

(%)

1.Bratislava city (constituency)

442,197

20,312

4.6

428,672

16,451

3.8

2.Senec

49,871

12,21424.5

51,825

10,55320.4

3.Dunajská Streda

109,345

95,31087.2

112,384

93,66083.3

4.Galanta

92,645

38,29541.3

94,533

36,51838.6

5.Šaľa

54,159

21,75440.2

54,000

19,28335.7

6.Komárno

109,279

78,85972.2

108,556

74,97669.1

7.Nové Zámky

153,466

63,74741.5

149,594

57,27138.3

Nové Zámky constituency-116,428

31,106

26.7

Štúrovo constituency-33,106

26,165

79.0

8.Nitra

160,725

13,113

8.2

163,540

10,956

6.7

9.Levice

120,703

38,16931.6

120,021

33,52427.9

10.Veľký Krtíš

46,813

14,38430.7

46,741

12,82327.4

11.Lučenec

72,946

22,51330.9

72,837

20,07227.6

12.Rimavská Sobota

82,112

36,40444.3

83,124

34,32341.3

13.Revúca

40,143

10,25625.5

40,918

8,99422.0

14.Rožňava

60,681

21,43435.3

61,887

18,95430.6

15.Košice area

99,292

16,24016.4

106,999

14,14013.2

16.Košice-citv (constituency)

235,160

10,760

4.6

236,093

8,940

3.8

17.Trebišov

100,520

33,19133.0

103,779

30,42529.3

18.Michalovce

105,281

13,75413.1

109,121

12,81911.7

Total

2,135,338560,709

26.3

2,144,624

514,682

24.0

Total without Bratislava and Košice

1,457,981529,637

36.3

1,479,859

489,291

33.1

Source: Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic: Forum Institute for Minority Research; author’s own calculations.

If we compare a map of Slovakia’s ethnic make-up by municipalities and by districts, it is plain to see that the territory inhabited by ethnic Hunga-105