Dušan Kerný has been named as the editor-in-chief of the new daily newspaper being planned by the opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS). Kerný is a former Slovak ambassador to Switzerland, and also served as an anchor for the state-run Slovak Television (STV) under the former government of Vladimír Mečiar.
HZDS party secretary Jozef Grappa said that the pilot issue of the daily should hit the stands by November 2. The editorial office will be located on Bratislava's Kollárovo Námestie, and Kerný will be in charge of selecting and hiring his staff. "We have not yet agreed on the name of the new daily - we are trying to decide between two final alternatives" Grappa said.
The HZDS announced the launching of their new daily in late September when they severed ties with their long-time media mouthpiece Slovenská Republika. HZDS leadership blamed changes in ownership at Republika for the separation.
