A FULL week after the naming of the new government, deputy minister seats still remain vacant.
The coalition leaders, who met last week, agreed only on the number of deputy ministerial posts. They agreed that Smer would have 13 deputy ministers, while the Slovak National Party (SNS) should have seven and the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) six.
"We will publish the names in a week," said HZDS chairman Vladimír Mečiar, Pravda wrote.
It still remains unclear for which ministries the individual parties will nominate their members.
The new cabinet will thus operate with 26 deputy ministers, four more than the previous government of Mikuláš Dzurinda.
Prior to the coalition board meeting, HZDS's Viliam Veteška told the SME daily that "in some ministries Smer wants to nominate its people, while in others there should be cross-control" suggesting that deputy ministers would be from a different party than the ministers themselves.
For the time being, however, not even the ministers themselves had any idea which deputy ministers would be nominated to their ministries.
- Martina Jurinová
17. Jul 2006 at 0:00
