The former Minister of Education Klavdija Markež could go back to her position as MP, but she didn't do it. In her phone conversation with Brglez she regretted her mistakes, and her resignation both as Minister and deputy prove she took responsibility for her actions, was explained by the Parliament. The cabinet of the president of the National Assembly has already received her resignation.
The SMC parliamentary group deemed her action as responsible, and in compliance with the party values. "Let me also say that our cooperation with her was good all the time. We also appreciate her contribution to the work of our parliamentary group," said the deputy of leader of the SMS party MP's Lilijana Kozlovič.
Substitute deputy Dušan Radič
Dušan Radič replaced Markež in the Parliament. Last year he was one of the candidates in Murska Sobota region at the early elections. After being confirmed as MP, he said at the press conference that his first contacts with the SMC confirmed it was a proper team. "They mostly want a more just society, and rule of law. I hope to become a small piece of that mosaic," he said.
Radič will thus keep the deputy position, and the party power ratio in the National Assembly unchanged. Markež could also go back, but in that case she would be ousted from her original parliamentary group. It is of importance also for the actual coalition combinatorics. SD Party is signalling their possible withdrawal from the coalition due to the Veber affair. In that case SMC and DeSUS would keep the majority of 46 votes, but without Markež the number of votes would drop to only 45, which would result into minority government.
Markež was invited to resign
The minister who lasted only 5 days resigned over plagiarism allegations referring to her master's thesis. The senate of the Graduate School of Government and European Studies has initiated the procedure by which a three-member commission will in 30 days evaluate the contents of the master's thesis written by Markež, and decide whether the conditions are met for revocation of the scientific title.
She took over the Ministry on Monday. After the disclosure SMC Party president Miro Cerar invited her to reconsider whether she still belonged among the SMS deputies. "It will be almost impossible, considering the inadmissible behaviour while a member of the SMC parliamentary group," he declared.
G. C., Al. Ma., Translated by G. K.
