Opinion polls at the time showed that 70% of Slovaks supported their country's bid to join the EU, and for the first time there was also a majority - albeit a slender one - in favour of joining NATO.


III. Political System

Slovakia is a democratic republic with a parliamentary system. The head of the republic is the President, who is elected for a five-year period. He shares power over the state with the Parliament, or Slovak National Council. This supreme law-making body of the Slovak Republic is single-chambered and has 150 members. Deputies, or Members of Parliament, are elected for four-year terms.

The supreme legislative deed is the Constitution of the Slovak Republic from 1992. The government of Slovakia led by its Chairman, the Prime Minister, holds executive power in the country. The President, the Parliament and the Government reside in the capital of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava.

State symbols of the Slovak Republic are: national emblem, flag, seal and anthem. Since 1996, the Slovak Republic has been divided into eight counties, or regions, and 79 districts. IV. The Most Interesting Things in Slovakia

Laugaritio - The Roman Trenčín: A rare epigraphic relic from the Roman era is associated with Trenčín. A Roman inscription which was carved in 197 A.D., has been preserved on the castle cliff. It documents the northernmost penetration of the Roman legions of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the central-European area. The inscription says that it was Marcus Valerius Maximilianus, a legate of the 2nd auxiliary legion, who had it inscribed to the memory of their victory over the Quades. The inscription mentions the name of Laugaritio camp, where the triumphant legionaries encamped. Later on, the town of Trenčín sprouted in this place.

Ruins of the Čachtice Castle - the Bloody Lady: The Countess of the Čachtice, Elisabeth Báthory, was the widow of Francis Nádasdy, a notable fighter in the war against the Turks. She was called Bloody Lady because of her sadistic inclinations. The number of victims of her unnatural behaviour is estimated to be anywhere from 20 to 2,000, and ranks her among the worst mass murderers in history. In December 1610, she was accused of having had young virgin girls from the nearby villages killed, and then bathing in their blood in an attempt to remain young and beautiful forever. However, the capital sentence was rendered against her sanguinary servant Ján Ujvári nicknamed Ficko, and other accomplices. The Bloody Lady herself, as a member of high nobility, was imprisoned in her castle, where she died on 21st August 1614.