Labour minister officially resigns

Prague, Oct 31 (CTK) - Czech President Vaclav Klaus accepted the resignation of Labour and Social Affairs Minister Jaromir Drabek (TOP 09) that Prime Minister Petr Necas (Civic Democrats, ODS) brought him to Prague Castle yesterday, Klaus's spokesman Radim Ochvat has said in a press release.

Drabek announced in early October that he will leave the post at the end of October over the case of his years-long close collaborator and former first deputy Vladimir Siska.

The police have accused Siska of bribery in an order for the ministry.

Drabek has repeatedly said he is convinced of Siska's innocence, but he dismissed him from the post.

TOP 09 has proposed that former senator and Drabek's adviser Ludmila Muellerova (TOP 09) replace Drabek who was minister from July 2010.

Necas wants to make a decision on her appointment only after he meets her.

Muellerova, formerly a member of the Christian Democratic Party (KDU-CSL), worked at the ministry as deputy minister ten years ago. She was then elected to the Senate and when her six-year mandate expired in 2010, she became Drabek's adviser.

Opposition Social Democrat (CSSD) deputy chairman Lubomir Zaoralek said at the party's conference yesterday Drabek had brought chaos in the ministry, leaving it in a disastrous state.

Zaoralek said Drabek was a businessman who should never have become the minister.

Zaoralek repeated the party's demand that a thorough audit be conducted at the ministry.

As the situation at the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry is not rare within the Necas government, early elections are a solution, he added.

The Social Democrats say Muellerova is no guarantee of that suspicious orders at the ministry will be investigated.

Muellerova said previously she wants to carry on the changes Drabek started in welfare policy.

She said Drabek himself has "checked to a certain degree" some things that Siska organised at the ministry and that he did not find anything unlawful or at variance with good practice in them.

"If I came across something, I would undoubtedly have an audit worked out," she said.