Bratislava, March 5 (CTK) – Slovak Culture Minister Marek Madaric tendered his letter of resignation to President Andrej Kiska over the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak today, but he will keep the post for the time being.
Madaric announced his resignation last week.
Kuciak and his fiancee were shot dead in their house in west Slovakia at the end of February.
In his last, unfinished article, Kuciak wrote about the business and possible subsidy frauds on the part of Italian entrepreneurs in eastern Slovakia, who are linked to mafia and had previously ties with persons close to Prime Minister Robert Fico.
The scandal has rocked the coalition government, primarily the position of Interior Minister Robert Kalinak and Fico himself. The opposition and the Most-Hid, a minor coalition government member, have asked Kalinak to resign.
On Sunday, Kiska proposed a thorough reconstruction of the Slovak government or an early general election as a way out of the current crisis.
Kiska told journalists that he would accept Madaric’s resignation on Wednesday.
He said he would put Deputy Prime Minister for Investments and IT Peter Pellegrini in charge of the ministry before a new minister were appointed.
Like Madaric, Pellegrini is a member of Fico’s Smer-Social Democracy (Smer-SD).
“I have appreciated his (Madaric’s) political gesture and I think that many should follow the example he has set in this respect,” Kiska said.
Madaric, until last December a deputy chairman of the Smer-SD, told journalists changes in the government were inevitable.
“If a change had occurred last week, the situation would have been calmer,” Madaric said.
He said if the coalition parties reacted sufficiently to the existing situation, it would be enough to reconstruct the government without the need of calling an early election.