Slovakia: prime minister reveals list of new ministers

Fico announced appointments for two of his allies - Jan Kubis, a career diplomat, as the new foreign minister, and Robert Kalinak, a deputy chairman ofFico's Smer-Social Democracy Party, as the interior minister.

Photo: Slovakia: prime minister reveals list of new ministers

Jan Pociatek, a prominent businessman and a key Fico ally, will head the Finance Ministry while Frantisek Kasicky, former chief of the military intelligence service, who also served under outgoing Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda, will be the defense minister.

After meeting Fico in Bratislava's ornate presidential palace, Gasparovic endorsed the list and announced he will appoint the new Cabinet on Tuesday, following the formal resignation of the outgoing government.

Earlier, Fico and his partners - the hardline nationalist Slovak National Party and the People's Party-Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, led by autocratic ex-Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar - signed a coalition agreement and formally agreed on the division of ministerial posts.

Under the deal, Fico's party will hold 11 posts. The Slovak National Party and the People's Party-Movement for a Democratic Slovakia will have three and two ministerial seats respectively.

Jan Slota, who leads the Slovak National Party, said consensus will be needed for the Cabinet to govern. Slota has made numerous derogatory statements about minorities, particularly Jews, Hungarians and Gypsies, drawing repeated criticism at home and abroad, the AP reports.