Slovakia's interior minister has announced his intention to step down to prevent the collapse of the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, which is under pressure for early elections following the assassination of a journalist.
Interior Minister Robert Kalinak told reporters Monday that he hoped his resignation, demanded by the opposition and the lower-level Most Party coalition, would help stabilize the country's political situation. Kalinak's move is one of Fico's biggest political sacrifices.
"My decision to resign is linked to our efforts to stabilize the situation," Kalinak said.
It called for a "radical" review of the government or early elections to restore confidence in state institutions, which they lost after the assassination of Jan Kuciak, an investigative journalist who wrote about crimes linked to politicians.
Tens of thousands of Slovaks protested in cities across the country on Friday, demanding the resignation of Kalinak and the police chief, saying that Fico's government had failed to tackle high-level corruption.