Coalition Parties to Redistribute Ministries This Afternoon

Bratislava, March 16 (TASR) – Smer-SD, the Slovak National Party (SNS), Most-Hid and Siet (Network) will make a final decision on redistribution of ministerial departments today (Wednesday), TASR has learnt – with the ministries divided up in a 7:3:2:1 basis.

Major ministries will go to the winning party Smer. They should be Interior; Finance; Foreign and European Affairs; Health; Culture and Labour, Social Affairs and the Family.

SNS should be entitled to nominate the agriculture and rural development and education ministers. Defence and economy have yet to be decided upon.

The Justice and the Environment Ministries should be vested in the hands of Most-Hid, while Siet will probably receive only one post, that of the Transport, Construction and Regional Development Minister, which manages the lion’s share of the EU funds.

Delegations arrived at Government Office shortly after 12 p.m. and they did not want to talk to the press. Most-Hid leader Bela Bugar refused to address the alleged request of the Opposition indicating that Prime Minister Robert Fico and Interior Minister Robert Kalinak should abandon their posts in the new arrangement.