President Zuzana Čaputová will name a government of experts on Monday, May 15, 2023. (source: TASR - Jakub Kotian)
President Zuzana Čaputová has announced the list of experts who will take up ministerial roles in the incoming technocrat government.
The government of experts will be officially appointed on Monday, May 15 by the president, the TASR news agency reported.
The outgoing, caretaker government, led by Eduard Heger (Democrats party), was appointed after his previous government lost a vote of confidence in parliament on December 15, 2022. The outgoing cabinet has had to consult the president on many matters since then.
This week's changes were prompted by Heger's resignation, which was itself sparked by Samuel Vlčan (an OĽaNO nominee) stepping down as agriculture minister after it was revealed that a company he owns had received a large subsidy from another ministry.
The list of experts for the new technocratic caretaker cabinet was suggested by Ľudovít Ódor, President Čaputová's choice as prime minister. He is currently the vice-governor of the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), a position he has occupied since 2018.
Ódor will be appointed new prime minister after he resigns from his NBS position on May 14. There was some debate about the identity of the new ministers even before they were officially announced.
Below is the official list of future ministers:
Deputy PM for Recovery and Resilience Plan and EU funds: General Director of the Recovery Plan Department at the Government Office Lívia Vašáková
Economy minister: SEPS (Slovak Electricity Transmission System) CEO Peter Dovhun
Finance minister: central bank's Chief Economist Michal Horváth
Transport minister: ex-Orange Slovakia CEO Pavol Lančarič
Agriculture minister: State Veterinary and Food Administration Director Jozef Bíreš
Investment minister: Head of the Innovation, Strategic Investment and Analyses Department at the Investment Ministry Peter Balík
Interior minister: ex-interior, justice and defence minister Ivan Šimko
Defence minister: General Director of the Defence Policy Department at the Defence Ministry Martin Sklenár
Justice minister: former public defender of rights, ex-MP and former judge Jana Dubovcová
Foreign minister: ex-ambassador to the UK and Denmark Miroslav Wlachovský
Labour minister: State Secretary at the Labour Ministry Soňa Gaborčáková
Environment minister: European Environment Agency official Milan Chrenko
Education minister: leadership and project management lecturer and coach Daniel Bútora
Culture minister: culture manager and former Slovak National Theatre director Silvia Hroncová
Health minister: pathologist and State Secretary at the Health Ministry Michal Palkovič
