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Caretaker government appointed in crisis-hit Slovakia

Caretaker government appointed in crisis-hit Slovakia
World

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova appointed a caretaker government on Monday to lead the European Union and NATO member until snap elections in late September, reports AFP.

The new non-partisan government in the country of 5.4 million will be led by the former deputy governor of Slovakia's central bank Ludovit Odor.

The 46-year-old will be Slovakia's third head of government since elections in 2020.

His immediate predecessor, Eduard Heger, stepped down on May 7 following a scandal involving a member of his government allegedly benefitting from state subsidies.

His agriculture minister, Samuel Vlcan, resigned earlier this month after a case involving a 1.4-million-euro ($1.6 million) subsidy to his company.

"Governments of technocrats get to speak only when no other constitutional solution is offered," Caputova said during a ceremony for Odor's appointment in Bratislava.

Odor's government is now expected to present its programme and ask for a vote of confidence within 30 days.

Regardless of the vote, a snap election will follow on September 30.

"Our big advantage may be that we don't have to argue in live broadcasts, we don't have to fight each other in political battles," Odor said.

"But we can fully focus on what Slovakia needs," he added.