Slovakian setback for Euro bailout plan

The Slovakian parliament Tuesday rejected a European plan to expand the powers of a bailout fund for the continent's banks and some governments. Political analysts expect Prime Minister Iveta Radicova to resign in the wake of the vote, which could mean a new government could hold a second vote on the matter before the end of the week, CNN reported. The vote was closely watched throughout Europe because Slovakia is the only member of the 17-nation euro bloc that has not approved the overhaul of the European Financial Stability Facility bailout fund. CNN said the measure was highly unpopular among Slovakian voters, who saw it as a deal that would benefit European banks at their expense. "We didn't get a mandate for that," Richard Sulik, chairman of Slovakia's Freedom and Solidarity Party, told a Slovak news agency. "We got a mandate to protect the money of Slovak taxpayers."