After taking his oath, Peršak said that his ministry would get down to work immediately. He also expressed his wish to cooperate with everyone in a productive way.

He thanked everyone for the trust placed in him, stressing that his nominations is both a burden and a commitment to get to work and “deliver the policies set out in the coalition agreement”. He added that he wishes to cooperate with everyone – including those who voted against him – for the sake of promoting cultural development.

Prior to being appointed Culture Minister, Peršak served as a state secretary at the Ministry of Culture under Julijana Bizjak Mlakar, who was forced to step down in April. Peršak was nominated as Culture Minister by Prime Minister Miro Cerar after being put forward as a candidate by DeSUS. Cerar said before Friday’s vote that he expects Peršak to take bold action and bring about systemic changes that would ensure a high level of autonomy in the culture sector.

Cerar believes Peršak to be the right choice
Prime Minister Miro Cerar said he was pleased that a majority of MPs had backed Peršak. Cerar expects Peršak to quickly implement systemic changes, work together with other MPs to implement key provisions of the coalition agreement, and do a better job at communicating with other stakeholders in the culture sector than the previous Culture Minister.

Cerar said in a press release that Peršak has the necessary political experience for the post, and that he is an established expert in the field of culture.

He expects Peršak to start a peer-to-peer dialogue with other stakeholders in the culture sector. Peršak should be able to lend them an ear in order to ensure that the government makes the right decisions.

MPs also said before the vote that they expect Peršak to implement, or at least start implementing, key provisions of the coalition agreement. They believe that Peršak has enough experience to be the right candidate for the job.

G. C., T. H.; translated by D. V.