Ministerial candidates in the Janez Jansa-led government will be given a special ethical code to sign before becoming ministers in a move that the senior coalition party of Slovenian Democrats (SDS) hopes will raise the trust of Slovenian citizens in the government and state institutions.
Gregor Virant, a senior SDS official, told the press on Monday that the ministerial candidates would have to sign the code by Wednesday. If anyone fails to do so, they will be removed from the cabinet lineup, he said.
If a minister fails to respect the constitutional oath, the ethical code or if the PM finds that a minister has damaged the image of the government or the institution under his/her authority by failing to produce expected results, the minister will have to hand in a resignation in line with the ethical code, Virant explained.
Virant said that no legal sanctions are foreseen in the code, which introduces some general commitments that are expected to make sure the work of the new government is based on certain basic values.
The SDS official also said the document would give the media "concrete instruments for the supervision of the work of the executive". If demanded by public, the ministers will have to release all public information about their salaries and expenses, Virant said.
If the ministers find themselves in a conflict of interests over an issue, they are obliged to inform the PM about the matter and follow his instructions, according to the code.
The code also sets down what work the minister can do apart from his job as the cabinet member. Ministers will have to reduce to the minimum even the activities that are allowed by law, namely lecturing, research, publication of articles and cultural activities.
This has been made in a bid for the ministers to be able to perform their duties efficiently, said Virant, the candidate for the public administration minister in the new government.
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