Three Slovenian centre-left parties sign coalition accord

Telekom Slovenije, D.d

03/09/2014 13:50

By Marja Novak 
    LJUBLJANA, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Slovenia's election winners, 
the centre-left Party of Miro Cerar, agreed a coalition on 
Wednesday with the pensioners' party Desus and the centre-left 
Social Democrats to secure a solid parliamentary majority. 
    Law professor Miro Cerar, who was appointed as prime 
minister by parliament last week, said ministers would be named 
next week when the coalition accord will be officially sealed. 
    The three coalition parties together hold 52 out of 90 seats 
in parliament. 
    Cerar's SMC said earlier in August economy professor Dusan 
Mramor would be the next finance minister while the head of 
Desus, Karl Erjavec was likely to keep the post of foreign 
minister.  ID:nL5N0QR2BL  
    All three coalition parties are lukewarm on privatisation 
although the European Commission sees selling state firms as 
essential for Slovenia to bolster its finances after it managed 
to bail out its banks without outside help last year. 
    On Tuesday the government's investment fund SDH said it had 
suspended the sale of the largest telecoms operator Telekom 
 TLSG.LJ  pending the new government's approval.  ID:nL5N0R332M  
    Cerar has yet to say whether his government will allow the 
sale, expected to bring the government and its firms some 700 
million euros ($920 million), to proceed or not.   
    Cerar, who has to present his cabinet to parliament by next 
Tuesday, will take over once the cabinet wins parliamentary 
approval, which is expected in the middle of September. 
    "The process of searching for ministers is always very 
demanding and takes time," Cerar told reporters after the 
coalition accord was signed.  
    Cerar's SMC party won a snap general election in July after 
the centre-left Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek resigned in May 
having lost a battle for the leadership of the Positive Slovenia 
party.  
(1 US dollar = 0.7607 euro) 
 
 (Reporting by Marja Novak; editing by Zoran Radosavljevic and 
Ruth Pitchford) 
 ((Marja.Novak@thomsonreuters.com; +386-8-205-6369; Reuters 
Messaging: marja.novak.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: SLOVENIA GOVERNMENT/