BRATISLAVA, March 30, (WEBNOVINY) – Despite weaknesses or doubts stirred by some nominations in the new government, the Cabinet should be given sufficient room to get prepared and started, stated Chairman of the strongest opposition party KDH Jan Figel, meaning the traditional one hundred days. Figel told SITA agency on Friday that the new government should fulfill expectations that SMER raised in elections. “The one-party government that promised certainties to citizens will bear responsibility for implementation of the state policy,” he said.
Figel as the outgoing Transport Minister is convinced that it is reasonable to keep the ministry’s jurisdictions as a whole because transportation, construction and regional development are closely related. “The department is well on track in all areas and rather needs to keep new dynamics than to halt ongoing measures,” he stated. The KDH head is glad that nomination of Jan Pociatek to the position of the minister confirms signals that huge projects will be withdrawn. He thinks so because he considers his successor a pragmatic man that has knowledge of finances which is very important in such a large ministry.
According to Chairman of the SDKU-DS deputy club Ludovit Kanik, there is a very strong line in the new government aimed at the business background of selected groups. He told SITA that it is represented mainly by ministers Jan Pociatek, Robert Kalinak, Peter Kazimir, Peter Zigo and Martin Glvac. “This proves the generally known fact that SMER will make efforts to ensure for allied and selected groups of entrepreneurs ideal conditions for their development but it will not certainly be general improvement of the business environment which would be desirable,” Kanik stated.
In order not to be too obvious and to satisfy and calm voters of SMER, A smoke screen is here represented by the Labor Ministry that should present strong social rhetoric and fulfill the party’s line focused on creating impression of social character of the party to cover the genuine core of SMER, which is to wring out as much as possible for selected groups. “This is covered by a man who has never done anything else but for being a paid functionary of political parties. First as secretary for industry of the District Committee of the Communist Party of Slovakia, then as an SDL functionary and later as SMER’s manager general,” Kanik concluded.
The leadership of the election winner SMER-SD that is to form a new government for the next four-year election term has approved nominations for cabinet members and senior parliamentary officials. The Cabinet will have three deputy prime ministers including designated Interior Minister Robert Kalinak, Finance Minister Peter Kazimir and Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak. The new cabinet will have to do without a deputy prime minister for human rights and national minorities, as in a revamped competence law SMER will scrap this post and instead create a post of deputy prime minister for large investment projects. Ex-transport minister in Robert Fico’s first cabinet Lubomir Vazny is to be appointed to the post.
The post of defense minister will go to Martin Glvac, who is the head of the party’s Bratislava organization. The head of the Slovak Bar Chamber Tomas Borec is to stand at the helm of the Justice Ministry, Finance Minister in Robert Fico’s first cabinet Jan Pociatek is to lead the Transport Ministry, while SMER manager general Jan Richter is to be the new minister of labor, social affairs and family. Dusan Caplovic will be education minister and Zuzana Zvolenska who led the state-run health insurance company VsZP and sat on the board of the private insurer Dovera will take over the health department. Marek Madaric will lead the Culture Ministry, the new agriculture minister will be Lubomir Jahnatek and the environment department will be led by Peter Ziga.
SITA