Slovak Coalition Party Demands Snap Vote After Journalist Murder

Bratislava, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Mar, 2018 ) :A minor member of Slovakia's three-party coalition called for early elections over tensions sparked by the murder of an investigative journalist, despite the interior minister's resignation hours earlier on Monday in a bid to save the government from collapsing.

"This situation can only be solved with early elections," Bela Bugar, the leader of the minor coalition member Most-Hid, told reporters after a day of marathon talks. "If these negotiations with coalition partners are not successful, Most-Hid will leave the government coalition." Prime Minister Robert Fico, who like the interior minister belongs to the Smer-SD party, has so far refused to consider snap elections, while minor coalition partner the right-wing Slovak Nationalist Party (SNS) said it would agree.

Slovak President Andrej Kiska had also called for early elections -- or sweeping government changes -- earlier this month, which Fico initially blasted as "an attempt to totally destabilise our country" before backing down last week.

Last month's murder of Jan Kuciak and his fiancee prompted huge protests against Fico's government, with tens of thousands of Slovaks turning out for rallies in Bratislava on Friday. Most-Hid had threatened to quit if Interior Minister Robert Kalinak stayed, questioning the impartiality of the investigations under his lead.

"I think to fulfil my mandate I have to do everything to preserve stability in Slovakia," Kalinak told reporters earlier Monday. "For this reason I have decided to resign as deputy prime minister and interior minister." Kalinak said he would stay on to complete unspecified tasks before formally stepping down, without giving a date.