Prime Minister Iveta Radičová officially announced that she will not be a candidate for the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union party (SDKÚ) before a session of the party's central bodies on October 30, the TASR newswire reported.
"I won't be your companion ... as a member of this team anymore," said Radičová, as quoted by TASR newswire, adding that she made the decision after "considering the external circumstances" as well as the internal situation in the party.
Radičová said she is ready to bear full responsibility for all the steps her government had taken, as well as for the unsuccessful negotiations with Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party in trying to resolve Slovakia’s role in dealing with the eurozone crisis.
The person to head the SDKÚ slate will be selected in the party's primaries. The only announced candidate is SDKÚ chairman Mikuláš Dzurinda as Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš and Justice Minister Lucia Žitňanská announced they would not run.
Radičová is expected to formally step down from her post of SDKÚ vice-chair at a party congress after the elections in March.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
