BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovakia‘s newly elected government will change the constitution to have the president elected by direct popular ballot instead of by parliament, Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda said on Wednesday. Slovakia has been without a head of state since March 2 when Michal Kováč stepped down at the end of his term. No successor was found because parliament could not agree on a compromise candidate. Although the new coalition government is strong enough to have its own candidate voted in by parliament, Dzurinda‘s party had long pledged to let the people decide for themselves. "The coalition decided late on Tuesday that we will elect the new president of the Slovak Republic in a direct presidential election," Dzurinda told journalists. He added that the government‘s candidate, Košice mayor Rudolf Schuster, supported the move. No timetable has yet been set but Dzurinda said the election should take place as soon as possible, which could mean January or February. In the meantime, presidential powers rest with the premier and the chairman of parliament. There has so far been no word on whether former premier Mečiar will contest the presidency. Opinion polls conducted earlier in the year suggested that Schuster would win any run-off against Mečiar.