Czech President Vaclav Klaus named five new government ministers today, a move that concluded Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's long-planned cabinet overhaul at a time when the country chairs the European Union, DPA reported. Topolanek promised to reconstruct his three-party center-right cabinet after his senior ruling Civic Democrats were trounced in regional and Senate elections in October. The ruling parties, which also include the Christian Democrats and the Greens, alienated voters after introducing unpopular public finance measures, such as direct payments in healthcare. The new ministers assumed their posts at a time when economic slowdown is expected to fully hit central Europe and at the onset of Czech Republic's six-month rotating EU presidency lasting through June 30.
