August 30 (SeeNews) - Slovenia's centre-left, anti-establishment LMS party of prime minister-designate Marjan Sarec said it has signed a coalition deal with four other parties, agreeing to partner in a minority government to run the country until 2022.
LMS signed a deal with the Social Democrats (SD), the Modern Center Party (SMC) of former prime minister Miro Cerar, the Alenka Bratusek Party (SAB) and the Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia (DeSUS), Sarec's party said in a statement late on Wednesday.
"Behind us are more than two months of hard work. During this time there was a lot of effort and coordination, the result of which is the signing of this partnership agreement. This is very pleasing to me, I thank the presidents for his efforts and constructive attitude," Marjan Sarec is quoted as saying.
LMS will head the ministry of public affairs, the health ministry, the finance ministry and the interior ministry. The party has nominated Andrej Bertoncelj as finance minister, who was previously a board member at Slovenia's sovereign holding company SDH.
SMC has proposed that outgoing prime minister Cerar be appointed foreign minister and that economy minister Zdravko Pocivalsek retain his position.
According to local media, Sarec is due to submit the cabinet lineup to parliament for approval on Friday.
On August 17, with a 55 to 31 vote in parliament, Sarec was appointed prime minister-designate.
Along with LMS, which became the second-biggest force in parliament after the early general election in June, and its four coalition partners, Sarec was supported by the Left party which will remain in the opposition.
The Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) led by nationalist former prime minister Janez Jansa won June election with 24.92% of the vote, giving it 25 of 90 seats in the National Assembly. Prior to the elections all parties but NSi and SNS said they refused to work with SDS, effectively blocking Jansa from power.