Ljubljana - Jože Podgoršek, a state secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food has been formally nominated to take over the ministry after the resignation of Aleksandra Pivec. He will present himself to MPs on Monday.

Prime Minister Janez Janša sent his candidacy to parliament on Monday evening, after Pivec announced she was stepping down just before the National Assembly was due to vote on he dismissal.

The parliamentary Agriculture Committee has scheduled a confirmation hearing with Podgoršek for Monday, 12 October, which will be swiftly followed by a plenary vote.

Podgoršek, born in 1974, has a PhD in agrarian economics from the Biotechnical Faculty in Ljubljana, where he also completed his undergraduate studies.

Before becoming a state secretary he was the dean of the College for Rural Management GRM in Novo Mesto, a school he helped establish.

From 2015 until his appointment to the state secretary post, he also acted as Slovenia's first food supply chain ombudsman, a post dedicated to monitoring the actions of food supply chain stakeholders.