President Klaus appoints new ministers to office

President Vaclav Klaus on Wednesday appointed three new ministers to office within a planned cabinet reshuffle. The head of the Civic Democrats’ deputies group in the lower house Zbynek Stanjura took up the post of transport minister, while Deputy Prime Minister Karolína Peake now heads the defense ministry. Her place at the head of the government’s legislative council was filled by her deputy Petr Mlsna. There are plans to eventually merge the transport ministry with that of trade and industry which would be run by a Civic Democrat.