Prime Minister-designate Peter Pellegrini delivered a list of his new government members to President Andrej Kiska on Tuesday, with the leadership of the centre-left party SMER-SD having decided on nominations for ministers of the new government.
The party suggested for the Minister of Interior Jozef Ráž junior, former Secretary General of the Civil Servant´s Office at the Health Ministry, the Minister of Culture Ľubica Laššáková as well as Deputy Prime Minister for Informatisation Richard Raši, currently being the Mayor of Košice in Eastern Slovakia. Moreover, the Finance Minister Peter Kažimír is to become the new deputy prime minister. Other nominees of the leftist SMER-SD party are going to keep their posts. These are Economy Minister Peter Žiga, Labour Minister Ján Richter, Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák and Finance Ministry Director Peter Kažimír.
The second coalition partner in the government is the Slovak National Party that will keep the Agriculture Minister Gabriela Matečná, Education Minister Martina Lubyová and Defense Minister Peter Gajdoš.
The third party of the coalition party MOST-HÍD proposed Gabor Gál as the new minister of justice, as the former minister Lucia Žitňanská decided to step down from her post. Finally, Minister of Environment László Sólymos and Transport Minister Árpád Érsek stay in their offices as the nominees of the party MOST-HÍD.
However, President Andrej Kiska decided on Tuesday not to approve this new government proposed by Prime Minister-designate Peter Pellegrini on Monday. Andrej Kiska stated:
"I informed Mr. Pellegrini that I will not appoint the government as proposed yesterday by him. I communicated to him my concrete objections towards the proposal. I asked him to deliver me, by this Friday, a new composition of the nominees for the members of the government."
The president thanked Pellegrini for the objective, correct and constructive attitude towards the task he is facing. Pellegrini has to convince with a new stabile government that would bring expected changes in order to ensure the independent investigation of the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. Thus, in particular the person assigned to be the new interior minister needs to achieve a level of public confidence.
"President Andrej Kiska has made great strides towards restoring public trust in the state", Opposition Ordinary People Party (OĽANO) leader Igor Matovič said in response to the President's decision not to appoint a cabinet.
