SLOVAKIAN prime minister Robert Fico has resigned following a crisis over the killing of a journalist.
President Andrej Kiska has accepted the resignation and asked Peter Pellegrini, Fico’s deputy prime minister, to form a new government.
Tens of thousands of Slovakians rallied last week to demand the government’s resignation over the deaths of Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova.
Kuciak, who was investigating tax evasion, and Kusnirova were found shot dead in their home.
Police president, Tibor Gaspar, had said that the assassinations probably had something to do with the 27-year-old’s “investigative activities”.
Fico had previously said if that was the case, it would be “an unprecedented attack on freedom of the press and democracy in Slovakia”.
Fico’s resignation is meant to keep the current three-party coalition in power and avoid the possibility of early elections.
Pellegrini, who is from Fico’s leftist Smer Social Democracy, will form the same coalition with the Most-Hid party representing ethnic Hungarians and the ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party.
The coalition has a majority in parliament.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here