Arts minister Zaorálek rejects offer of move to Foreign Ministry

Lubomír Zaorálek says that for now he is not willing to leave his position as arts minister to take over as minister of foreign affairs. The latter post has been vacant since Tomas Petříček was fired by his Social Democrats party chief, Jan Hamáček.

Mr. Zaorálek – who is a former minister of foreign affairs – told reporters on Tuesday that he was not satisfied with how the ministry was functioning at present, saying it had been “gutted”. He also said he wished to complete the work he had started at the Ministry of Culture.

The opposition have accused Jan Hamáček of causing chaos by firing Mr. Petříček before securing a replacement. Mr. Hamáček, who is minister of the interior, is currently also acting foreign minister.