Serbia appoints new government

Belgrade, March 3, 2004 - The Serbian parliament appointed on Wednesday Vojislav Kostunica as prime minister and approved his proposed 18-member cabinet by a vote of 130 to 113, with one abstention.

The Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) will have nine ministries in the new government, G17 Plus will have four, while the coalition of the Serbian Renewal Movement and New Serbia (SPO/NS) will also hold four ministries.

Miroljub Labus (G17 Plus) was appointed as the sole deputy prime minister in the new government, and will be in charge of European integration.

The ministers are:

1. Minister of Interior Dragan Jocic (DSS)
2. Minister of Finance Mladjan Dinkic (G17 Plus)
3. Minister of Justice Zoran Stojkovic (DSS)
4. Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government - Zoran Loncar (DSS)
5. Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management - Ivana Dulic-Markovic (G17 Plus)
6. Minister of Economy - Dragan Marsicanin (DSS)
7. Minister of Energy and Mining - Radomir Naumov (DSS)
8. Minister of Capital Investment - Velimir Ilic (SPO/NS)
9. Minister of Trade, Tourism and Services - Bojan Dimitrijevic (SPO/NS)
10. Minister of International Economic Relations - Predrag Bubalo (DSS)
11. Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Affairs - Slobodan Lalovic (SDP, G17 Plus list)
12. Minister of Science and Environmental Protection - Aleksandar Popovic (DSS)
13. Minister of Education and Sport - Ljiljana Colic (DSS)
14. Minister of Culture - Dragan Kojadinovic (SPO/NS)
15. Minister of Health - Tomica Milosavljevic (G17 Plus)
16. Minister of Religion - Milan Radulovic (DSS)
17. Minister of Diaspora - Vojislav Vukcevic (SPO/NS)

The parliament also accepted the resignation of Dragan Marsicanin, who is leaving the post of the parliament speaker to take on the responsibilities of Minister of Economy.

The new Serbian government will be a minority government made up of representatives of the DSS, G17 Plus and the Coalition SPO/NS, and supported by the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS).