Slovakia interior minister resigns after journalist's murder
March 12, 2018
A coalition partner had made Robert Kalinak's resignation a condition for continued support in government. Slovakia has seen the largest protest since 1989, with demonstrators calling for the the government to step down.
The junior coalition partner Most-Hid group made Kalinak's resignation a central requirement for its continued support for the government. As interior minister, he was responsible for overseeing the country's police force.
"I think to fulfill my mandate, I have to do everything to preserve stability in Slovakia," Kalinak told reporters in Bratislava. "For this reason I have decided to resign as deputy prime minister and interior minister."
Slovaks on Friday staged the largest mass protest since the anti-communist rallies of 1989, with protesters calling for Prime Minister Robert Fico's government to resign. Authorities estimated 50,000 people had rallied in Bratislava out of a population of 5.4 million.
Kalinak was a founder member of Fico's Smer party. The Most-Hid group leaders are expected to meet on Monday to determine how to move forward amid growing anger in Slovakia.
Although the government has denied any links between two people who worked in Fico's office and were reportedly connected to the mafia via business intermediaries, the fallout has damaged its reputation.
An EU delegation expressed concern over the situation after visiting the country last week. "We've found a deeply divided country that is nearly traumatized," said Ingeborg Grässle, a German politician who serves as a member of the European Parliament.
Slovakia protest largest since 1989 anti-communism rallies
Protesters have gathered to call for Slovak Prime Minister Fico and his government to step down following the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee. The president has warned of a crisis of trust.
Image: Reuters/R. Stoklasa
Biggest protests since 1989
Slovakia has witnessed its largest protest since anti-communism rallies in 1989, with an estimated 50,000 gathering in the capital, Bratislava. The reason: the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée. Their murders sent shockwaves across the country and the EU. Kuciak was working on a story linking businessmen operating in the country with the Italian Mafia before his death.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Klamar
'Enough of Fico'
The protesters have demanded Prime Minister Robert Fico and the rest of his government resign. According to Kuciak's last unfinished story, one of the businessmen had worked with two people who worked in Fico's office. Although the men have resigned and denied any links, Slovak citizens are frustrated at the government's failure to tackle corruption in the country, chanting "Enough of Fico."
Image: Reuters/R. Stoklasa
Growing frustration
Kuciak's murder has pushed growing frustration to a fever-pitch, with protesters saying the government can't be trusted to properly investigate the crime. "Politicians in power have lost our trust," said one of the protesters. "We don't trust them to guarantee an independent investigation. They have failed to investigate all previous scandals."
Image: Reuters/R. Stoklasa
Crisis of trust
Slovak President Andrej Kiska, considered a political rival of the prime minister, said the country is facing a crisis of trust. He has called on the government to reconfigure its three-party coalition or face early elections. But that's not what protesters have demanded. Instead, demonstrators have called for a "new trustworthy government."
Image: Reuters/R. Stoklasa
'Last story'
Analysts believe Fico is unlikely to make out of the ensuing political crisis. Martin Slosiarik of the Focus polling agency told Reuters news agency. "Kuciak's last story has had a serious impact on people's trust in the system of government, and the murder of two young people has added a strong moral aspect," said Slosiarik. ls/sms (Reuters, dpa)