CULTURE Minister Rudolf Chmel will soon leave the Cabinet, the Pravda daily wrote, although the reasons behind his departure remain unclear.
An unnamed high-level politician told the daily that Chmel, a member of the ruling New Citizen's Alliance (ANO) has agreed with party chairman Pavol Rusko, who is also the cabinet's Economy Minister, to leave the government as of February 1, 2005.
Both Chmel and Rusko refused to comment on the information.
The two men have had conflicts in the past, however. Last year, Chmel was reluctant to support the recall of Ján Mojžiš, the former head of the National Security Office, although ANO appealed to its ministers to back the recall.
Chmel finally accepted the party recommendation but defied the party line in another case relating to changes in the country's courts’ system.
Compiled by Martina Jurinová from press reports
TheSlovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the informationpresented in its Flash News postings.
