Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany has named the Socialist Csaba Molnar as new minister for transport, telecommunications and energy, the government announced Wednesday in Budapest.

`State Secretary in the National Development and Economy Ministry Csaba Molnar accepted the seat,` government spokesman David Daroczi said.

Molnar`s appointment takes effect on December 1.

The ministerial post has been empty since the resignation of former minister Pal Szabo in the wake of an October 6 train crash that killed four passangers.