The head of the Association of Employers' Unions, Tomáš Malatinský, will definitely be named the economy minister and the person originally vetted for the post, Ján Valko, will become the head of the Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS), the Sme daily reported on April 4.
Prime Minister Robert Fico said the decision did not involve making a coalition with employers but that the step was about bringing a man to the government who will have a professional attitude and present proposals to improve the business environment.
Smer has already announced several nominees for posts as state secretaries (i.e. deputy ministers). Diplomat Miloš Koterec will become the state secretary at the Defence Ministry; he previously served with the Slovak mission to NATO, was an MEP for Smer and now holds a senior post with the United Nations.
Ján Ilavský, who headed the Slovak Land Fund (SPF) after scandals involving land transfers in the Tatras, is often mentioned as the likely state secretary at the Environment Ministry. Ivan Sečík is expected to return to the Culture Ministry and MP Pavol Pavlis may head to the Economy Ministry.
Smer party will offer the opposition the opportunity to name the head of the country’s Supreme Audit Office while Fico wants Smer to nominate the head of the Public Procurement Office (ÚVO); the opposition is also interested in nominating someone to this post. Fico said that an analysis is necessary to determine whether the public procurement authority can be merged with the Antitrust Office (PMÚ) in the future, Sme wrote.
Source: Sme
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
