The 150 MPs who were elected to the Slovak Parliament in the March 10 general election were sworn in on Wednesday, April 4, the TASR newswire learnt.
Outgoing Speaker of Parliament Pavol Hrušovský (Christian Democratic Movement (KDH)) was first to take the oath, before departing Deputy Speakers Béla Bugár (Most-Híd) and Robert Fico (Smer) and members of the outgoing cabinet. After all the MPs were sworn in, Hrušovský interrupted the session to allow President Ivan Gašparovič to appoint Smer party chairman Fico as the new prime minister. The parliamentary session then resumed, with MPs due to become members of the incoming government being replaced by substitutes, who also took their oaths.
The election of the new speaker of parliament in a secret ballot followed, with Smer vice-chairman Pavol Paška taking the post. His deputies were then elected: Smer nominees MPs Renáta Zmajkovičová and Jana Laššáková, and opposition nominees KDH leader and MP Ján Figeľ and OĽaNO MP Erika Jurinová. Smer now holds 83 seats in parliament; its caucus is led by Laššáková. KDH's and OĽaNO's 16-member caucuses are headed by Hrušovský and Jozef Viskupič respectively. Most-Híd has 13 legislators, with László Solymos as its caucus head. The Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) and Freedom and Solidarity's (SaS) parliamentary groups of 11 MPs each are led by Ľudovít Kaník and Juraj Miškov respectively.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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