Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said he would remain an active party leader

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has resigned after the murder of a journalist sparked a political scandal.

President Andrej Kiska said he would ask Deputy Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini to form a new government.

Mr Fico had offered to resign on Wednesday if the ruling coalition was allowed to finish its term.

The death of reporter Jan Kuciak has shone a spotlight on corruption in Slovakia, prompting nationwide protests.

The 27-year-old was working on a story linking high-level political corruption in Slovakia with the Italian mafia when he was killed in late February.

His fiancée, Martina Kusnirova, was also murdered in an attack at their home.

On 9 March tens of thousands of Slovaks joined a protest rally in the capital Bratislava, in what is thought to be the largest demonstration in the country since the fall of Communism in 1989.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend Martina Kusnirova were found shot dead in their home

Seven suspects arrested in connection with the murders were released without charge last week, and President Kiska called for fresh elections or a "radical reconstruction" of the government to restore public trust.

The prime minister argued those options would undermine the results of the 2016 elections, and accused the president of "dancing on the graves" of the victims.

Mr Pellegrini and his new government will now have to pass a parliamentary vote of confidence.

The prime minister designate believes he already has the 79 votes needed to approve his new cabinet.

The PM's resigned - but will he still pull the strings?

Rob Cameron, BBC News, Prague

"Beware the Ides of March" they warned Julius Caesar, and while the situation in Slovakia is not quite as dramatic as the final days of the Roman Republic, 15 March will be remembered as the end of the Fico era. Standing stiffly in a ceremonial room at Bratislava's presidential palace, Mr Fico watched as his deputy and party colleague Peter Pellegrini was appointed to succeed him.

And there was a note of defiance as the outgoing prime minister told the president - "Rest assured, I'm not leaving politics, I want to be an active party leader".

That's what worries the opposition and the protesters who have filled public squares over the past two weeks. Robert Fico has been prime minister of Slovakia for 10 of the past 12 years, and though he might no longer play an active role in government, they believe he will still be pulling the strings in the background.

They say without a complete change of the guard in Slovakia, what they see as a culture of corruption and impunity will live on.

Organisers have promised a third round of protests on Friday - this time to demand early elections.</s>Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, has resigned after more than two weeks of political turmoil and public protests sparked by the murder of an investigative journalist.

The country’s president, Andrej Kiska, accepted the resignation at a ceremony and mandated Fico’s deputy, Peter Pellegrini, to form a new government.

The position of Fico, who served as prime minister for 10 of the past 12 years, appeared untenable after one of his junior coalition partners announced this week that it would withdraw from the government and support early elections unless he went. He agreed to resign on Wednesday after two days of talks with coalition leaders.

“I told the president: ‘Rest assured, I’m not leaving politics, I want to be an active party leader,’” Fico told a news conference on Thursday. “My role will be to have the new prime minister’s back and push for priorities that are important for [his party] Smer: a clear pro-European and pro-Nato orientation.”

Fico’s resignation comes weeks into a political crisis sparked by the murder in February of Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kušnírová. Kuciak had been investigating alleged mafia infiltration into the country, with questions raised about Fico’s judgment after it emerged that one of his close aides, was the former business partner of an alleged member of the Calabrian ’Ndrangheta clan.



Fico caused unease in some quarters in the immediate aftermath of the murders with a misjudged press conference during which he posed with €1m in cash and appeared to imply that he had taken personal control of the investigation.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Robert Fico stands behind bundles of euros in Bratislava. Photograph: Vladimír Šimíček/AFP/Getty Images

That unease soon turned to public anger as Fico appeared increasingly defensive and conspiratorialafter street protests demanding his resignation. Earlier this month, he accused Kiska of colluding with the Hungarian-born billionaire George Soros to bring down his government after the president said in a public broadcast: “A large number of people are convinced that this tragedy in many ways reflects Slovak reality in general.”



As leader of the ostensibly social-democratic Smer party, Fico dominated Slovak politics for more than a decade, portraying himself to European partners as a more reasonable interlocutor than the more overtly authoritarian regimes in neighbouring Poland and Hungary.



“He hoped to be remembered as a great leader, and now that legacy is lost,” said Samuel Abraham, the rector of the Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts. “What we need now is an independent investigation into the connection between oligarchs, organised crime and politicians.”



Although standing down as prime minister, Fico will remain Smer chairman. “Fico has left office, but will remain in power,” said Matúš Kostolný, the editor of Slovakian newspaper Denník N, noting that street protests were to continue.

“The question is whether people will be satisfied with his departure, or whether they will continue to fight the system he left behind.”</s>Outgoing Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (front) and his successor Peter Pellegrini arrive for the ceremony of tendering resignation by Fico and appointing Pellegrini for the post, in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Outgoing Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (front) and his successor Peter Pellegrini arrive for the ceremony of tendering resignation by Fico and appointing Pellegrini for the post, in Bratislava, Slovakia.

SLOVAKIA’S PRESIDENT HAS asked Deputy Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini to form a new government after accepting the PM’s resignation following a public backlash over an investigative journalist’s murder.

President Andrej Kiska handed Pellegrini – who is closely allied with embattled outgoing Prime Minister Robert Fico – the mandate in a ceremony televised live.

“The only reason I resigned was to prevent chaos in this country and to ensure stability. Snap elections would not have brought any stability,” Fico told reporters after handing in his resignation earlier at the presidential palace.

“I am not going anywhere. I will be an active chairman of the strongest political party,” said the 53-year-old leader of the Smer-SD party to which Pellegrini also belongs.

Kiska had earlier said he was informed by the three coalition parties – Smer-SD, plus junior partners Most-Hid and the Slovak National Party – “that they have the support of the majority in parliament for a new government led by Mr Pellegrini”.

Fico offered to resign after Most-Hid called for early elections and said it would quit the coalition government if talks failed.

Political analyst Pavol Babos said tensions should now ease, though he believes Fico will continue to call the shots from behind the scenes.

“The only way to avoid this would be if Fico himself decided to leave politics. From what he said, however, it is clear that he will want to affect the government’s actions even if he will not be a member of it any longer,” the Bratislava-based analyst told AFP.

He added that it is a “big problem” and a “conflict of interest” that the interior minister position will remain in the hands of Smer-SD after Robert Kalinak resigned earlier this week.

“The murdered journalist was writing about the links of the Italian mafia to the broader leadership of the Smer party,” Babos said.

Journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, both 27, who were found shot dead on 25 February at their home near the capital Bratislava.

Police said Kuciak’s death was “most likely” related to his investigation into ties between Slovakia’s top politicians and Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta mafia.

Fico’s close aide Maria Troskova was alleged to have links to one of the Italians named in Kuciak’s story.

The murder and Kuciak’s article, published after his death, sparked a wave of anti-government sentiment in Slovakia, an EU and NATO member of 5.4 million people.

A recent poll by the Focus institute found that 62% of Slovaks were in favour of Fico’s resignation, while only 13% felt he should stay.

Street protests this month saw tens of thousands of Slovak demonstrate against the government.

Protests will continue tomorrow across the country, despite Fico’s resignation.

Rally organisers continue to call for early elections as they believe the government reorganisation does nothing to change the management of the institutions responsible for investigating Kuciak’s murder.

The killing had raised fresh concern about media freedom and corruption both in Slovakia and Europe.

Yesterday, the EU urged Slovakia to swiftly investigate it.

Fico has been in power since 2012 and is known abroad for his anti-immigrant stance.

The veteran leftist had laid down three conditions for his resignation.

Kiska should respect the outcome of the 2016 parliamentary elections, respect and uphold the coalition agreement that forms the basis of the current government, and accept that Fico’s Smer-SD party would put forward a candidate to replace him, the prime minister demanded.

Read: Slovakian Prime Minister offers to resign over handling of journalist’s murder</s>Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico resigned Thursday after weeks of public protests over the slaying of an investigative journalist who reported on fraud among the country's elite, including people connected to the governing party.

Fico announced his resignation during a ceremony in Bratislava.

Jan Kuciak, 27, and his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová, were found dead in Kuciak's apartment in western Slovakia on February 26 with bullet wounds to the chest and head, respectively, according to the International Press Institute.

Kuciak reported on tax evasion and fraud among Slovak businesses, including people connected to the country's governing party, Smer.

Though the bodies were found February 26 at Kuciak's apartment in Velká Mača, investigators believe the pair were shot sometime between February 22 and February 25, police said.

On March 1, Slovak police said they had detained seven people in connection with the killings. The people detained, who are between 26 and 62 years old, are believed to have ties to Italian organized crime, Police Corps President Tibor Gaspar said at a news conference that day, according to TASR. Hundreds of candles were placed in front of a portrait of Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová, in the center of Bratislava on February 27. On February 28, Aktuality.sk published the last unfinished report Kuciak was working on before he was killed. The report identified people settled in Slovakia who allegedly have connections to the Italian organized-crime group the 'Ndrangheta. It also linked these people to high-profile Slovaks, including some connected to Smer. The government of Slovakia said it was offering a reward of €1 million ($1.2 million US) for information about the killing.</s>Slovakia’s prime minister has offered to resign, under pressure from the opposition for his handling of a scandal over the killing of a journalist investigating political corruption.

Robert Fico has been struggling since February with the scandal over the murder of Ján Kuciak, 27, and his fiancee, Martina Kušnírová.

Police have said the double murder was “most likely” related to Kuciak’s investigation of ties between Slovakia’s top politicians and Italy’s ’Ndrangheta mafia.

The killing has prompted large protests against Fico’s government, with tens of thousands of Slovaks turning out for rallies.

In a public address late on Wednesday, Fico said: “Today I have offered my resignation to the president of the republic. If the president accepts it, I am ready to resign tomorrow.”

The prime minister’s three-party coalition government is facing a no-confidence vote by members of parliament scheduled for next Monday.

The interior minister, Robert Kaliňák, resigned on Monday in a bid to save the government from collapsing.

But a minor member of Slovakia’s three-way governing coalition, the Most-Hid party, raised the pressure further, calling for early elections.

The president, Andrej Kiska, had also called for early elections – or sweeping government changes – earlier this month.

Fico has resisted the call for snap polls. He warned the country could “plunge into chaos if the current opposition takes power”.

The Slovakian newspaper Sme reported that Fico’s Smer-SD party may field the deputy prime minister, Peter Pellegrini, 42, as a candidate to succeed Fico.

Kuciak and Kušnírová, both 27, were found shot dead on 25 February at their home near the capital, Bratislava.

The murder and Kuciak’s article, published after his death, sparked a wave of anti-government sentiment in Slovakia, an EU and Nato member of 5.4 million people.

Fico’s close aide Mária Trošková was alleged to have links to one of the Italians named in Kuciak’s story.

The EU urged Slovakia to swiftly investigate the murder. “The top priority for all of us must be to carry out an independent and thorough investigation of the facts and bring those responsible to justice,” the security commissioner, Julian King, told MEPs on Wednesday. “We call upon the Slovak authorities to do this quickly.”

The double murder raised fresh concern about media freedom and corruption both in Slovakia and more widely in Europe. It followed the assassination in October of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who had denounced corruption in Malta.</s>Bratislava(Slovakia): Slovakia’s president has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico, who offered to step down after facing a public backlash over the murder of a journalist, a junior partner in the ruling coalition said today.

Fico’s Smer-SD party will put forward a candidate to replace him, according to Most-Hid, the smallest party in Slovakia’s three-way government.

“Smer-SD as the strongest (coalition) party will table its candidate for prime minister. The president has agreed to this,” Most-Hid chairman Bela Bugar told journalists.

“One third of the government members will be replaced,” he added.

President Andrej Kiska was to make a statement later today, his office said.

Slovak media reported that deputy prime minister Peter Pellegrini, 42, was tipped to succeed Fico.

Fico, 53, has been struggling to get on top of the scandal sparked by last month’s deadly shooting of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee at their home near Bratislava.

Police said Kuciak’s death was “most likely” related to his investigation on ties between Slovakia’s top politicians and Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta mafia.

The murder and Kuciak’s article, published after his death, sparked a wave of anti-government sentiment in Slovakia, an EU and NATO member of 5.4 million people.

The premier’s ruling coalition was facing a no-confidence vote by lawmakers scheduled for next Monday.

Interior minister Robert Kalinak and Culture Minister Marek Madaric already resigned earlier this week in a bid to save the government from collapsing.

Fico has been in power since 2012. He is known abroad for his anti-immigrant stance.</s>Slovak President Andrej Kiska has accepted the resignation of Robert Fico from the prime minister's post in the wake of a public outcry resulting from the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak last month.

Speaking at the presidential palace after a meeting with the president on Thursday, Fico announced that his deputy prime minister, Peter Pellegrini, has been put forward to take the reins and establish a new government.

"The nomination of Peter Pellegrini is the most natural thing," said Fico.

Fico said he was sure that forming a new government is the "right step, as early parliamentary elections would not have had any stability."

While Fico has resigned from the prime minister's post, he said he would remain with the party and still be very much present at political events.

On February 25, Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova, both 27, were found shot dead at their home near Bratislava in what police described as "most likely" related to his investigative work.

At the time, he had been investigating an alleged connection between Italy's 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate and high-ranking officials in the Slovak government.

The story was published posthumously by Kuciak's news outlet, Aktuality.

The double-murder sparked a nationwide outcry, with tens of thousands of Slovaks calling for an end to corruption in some the country's biggest demonstrations since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989.

Police had initially questioned suspects over the killings, but no arrests have been made.

With pressure mounting on Fico, both President Kiska and a minor member of the ruling coalition Most-Hid Party called for drastic reform or snap elections.

On Monday, Robert Kalinak resigned as interior minister in an effort to prevent the government from collapsing.

Kiska supported Fico's offer to resign on condition that his party be allowed to pick the next government leader in an attempt to preserve the three-party government, government officials said on Wednesday.

The condition has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition and political experts who claim Fico is attempting to retain his influence while also threatening Slovakia's democratic institutions.

"Civil society is not only asking for the resignation of Mr Fico himself, the demand here is for the change of politics of which Mr Fico is a symbol and the frontrunner, said Martin Poliacik, a member of parliament with the new Progressive Slovakia movement.

Viera Zuborova, executive director of the Bratislava Policy Institute, a Slovak think-tank, said the situation harkens back to the final days of the Soviet-aligned government's attempts to cling to power in 1989.

Fico's demands to the president and subsequent retention of power are "unique in modern Slovak history", she said, adding that installing Pellegrini without an election was not in the spirit of democracy.

Currently, regional elections are slated for November with MEP and presidential elections to take place in 2019.

Nationwide protests, meanwhile, are expected to continue tomorrow.</s>The prime minister of Slovakia said Wednesday that he is ready to bow to demands for his resignation as the country's ruling coalition sought to calm anger sparked by the murder of an investigative journalist and his fiancée.

Premier Robert Fico told reporters in the capital that he was prepared to leave office if his left-wing Smer-Social Democracy party is allowed to choose his successor.

"I visited the president today, together with the coalition partners, and I proposed that in order to solve the political crisis I am ready to resign as prime minister," Fico said in a televised news conference.

As Reuters notes, "President Andrej Kiska has called for a government revamp or early elections to rebuild what he says is a crisis of trust."

The offer to resign follows Slovakia's largest protests since the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Demonstrators are calling for a thorough investigation of the shooting deaths of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova. At the time of his death last month, Kuciak, 27, had been writing about ties between the Italian mafia and individuals close to Fico.

Deutsche Welle reports: "The killings reignited debate about corruption and press freedom in Slovakia, triggering mass anti-government demonstrations across the country."

No one has been charged with the murders, although police have interviewed more than 100 people as part of their probe.

NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, reporting from Bratislava, says, "many Slovaks say Fico's departure won't be enough. They say the reputation of his government has been damaged."

If the Slovak president accepts Fico's resignation, his successor could be named on Thursday, Soraya says.</s>Bratislava(Slovakia) : Slovakia’s president has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico, who offered to step down after facing a public backlash over the murder of a journalist, a junior partner in the ruling coalition said on Thursday.

Fico’s Smer-SD party will put forward a candidate to replace him, according to Most-Hid, the smallest party in Slovakia’s three-way government. “Smer-SD as the strongest (coalition) party will table its candidate for prime minister. The president has agreed to this,” Most-Hid chairman Bela Bugar told journalists. “One third of the government members will be replaced,” he added. President Andrej Kiska was to make a statement later today, his office said, reports AFP.

Slovak media reported that deputy prime minister Peter Pellegrini, 42, was tipped to succeed Fico. Fico, 53, has been struggling to get on top of the scandal sparked by last month’s deadly shooting of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee at their home near Bratislava.

Police said Kuciak’s death was “most likely” related to his investigation on ties between Slovakia’s top politicians and Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta mafia.

The murder and Kuciak’s article, published after his death, sparked a wave of anti-government sentiment in Slovakia, an EU and NATO member of 5.4 million people.

The premier’s ruling coalition was facing a no-confidence vote by lawmakers scheduled for next Monday. Interior minister Robert Kalinak and Culture Minister Marek Madaric already resigned earlier this week in a bid to save the government from collapsing.

Fico has been in power since 2012. He is known abroad for his anti-immigrant stance. (AFP) Bratislava(Slovakia), Mar 15 (AFP) Slovakia’s president has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico, who offered to step down after facing a public backlash over the murder of a journalist, a junior partner in the ruling coalition said on Thursday.

Fico’s Smer-SD party will put forward a candidate to replace him, according to Most-Hid, the smallest party in Slovakia’s three-way government.

“Smer-SD as the strongest (coalition) party will table its candidate for prime minister. The president has agreed to this,” Most-Hid chairman Bela Bugar told journalists. “One third of the government members will be replaced,” he added.

President Andrej Kiska was to make a statement later today, his office said. Slovak media reported that deputy prime minister Peter Pellegrini, 42, was tipped to succeed Fico. Fico, 53, has been struggling to get on top of the scandal sparked by last month’s deadly shooting of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee at their home near Bratislava.

Police said Kuciak’s death was “most likely” related to his investigation on ties between Slovakia’s top politicians and Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta mafia. The murder and Kuciak’s article, published after his death, sparked a wave of anti-government sentiment in Slovakia, an EU and NATO member of 5.4 million people. The premier’s ruling coalition was facing a no-confidence vote by lawmakers scheduled for next Monday. Interior minister Robert Kalinak and Culture Minister Marek Madaric already resigned earlier this week in a bid to save the government from collapsing. Fico has been in power since 2012. He is known abroad for his anti-immigrant stance.</s>A mass protest in Slovakia has been held in honour of a campaigning journalist who was murdered while investigating corrupt links between the government and the Italian mafia.

Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kunírová were found shot dead at their home in Bratislava on February 25.

Police said Kuciak's death was 'most likely' related to his investigation into alleged ties between top Slovakia politicians and Italy's 'Ndrangheta mafia.

The murder and Kuciak's article, which was published posthumously, raised fresh concern about media freedom and sparked anti-government sentiment in the EU member of 5.4 million people.

The scandal has already forced Slovakia's prime minister Robert Fico to tender his resignation in an effort to allow his party to remain in power.

However, 50,000 people on the streets of Bratislava demanded new elections. They marched under slogans 'Slovakia is going the wrong way' and 'we want elecctions'.

Fico, critics believe, will still be a major influence on the government, which has provoked anger on the streets.

Organisers of the 'For a decent Slovakia' protest had announced there would be rallies in 34 cities at home and 25 cities abroad.

Fico is planning to remain as chairman of the Smer-SD party, with his former deputy Peter Pellegrini earmarked to become prime minister.

The country's three-party government coalition remains in place. It consists of the left-wing populist Smer-SD and two junior partners: the Most-Hid Hungarian minority party and the far-right Slovak National Party.

Earlier on Friday, Pellegrini said he believes his government will 'calm the situation in our country.'

'I can assure you that it will be a government that maintains its clear pro-European orientation,' he added in a statement.

But the leadership change was not enough for activist Filip Vagac in Bratislava.

'A resignation no longer suffices. It has to be them (government politicians) leaving public life. Go away. Enough,' Vagac said.

'November '89 brought enormous changes. I believe that this situation will also start a process that will change Slovakia.'

He was referring to the 1989 Velvet Revolution that toppled Communism in the former Czechoslovakia and was the country's last anti-government protest of this size.
Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico resigns amid controversy over the murder of Ján Kuciak.