The Latest: Slovak party demands new election over slaying

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — The Latest on the slaying of an investigative journalist and his fiancee in Slovakia (all times local):

10:50 p.m.

A junior party in Slovakia’s ruling coalition says it wants early elections to resolve the crisis following the slayings of an investigative journalist and his fiancee.

Most-Hid party Chairman Bela Bugar said Monday that if the two coalition partners don’t agree to negotiate the early vote, Most-Hid would be ready to walk.

Bugar says Prime Minister Robert Fico rejected his party’s proposal. Fico is leader of the Smer-SD party.

Most-Hid’s exit could mean the collapse of the government created after Slovakia’s 2016 general election.

The slain journalist, Jan Kuciak, was writing about ties between the Italian mafia and people close to Fico when he and fiancee Martina Kusnirova were shot to death.

The ultranationalist Slovak National Party is the third coalition member.

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8:00 p.m.

Anti-government protesters in Slovakia are planning to hold more rallies over the slaying of an investigative journalist even though the country’s interior minister has resigned.

Interior Minister Robert Kalinak resigned Monday after tens of thousands of protesters across Slovakia demanded a thorough investigation into the shooting deaths of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova.

The protests on Friday included calls for Slovakia’s whole government to step down, with a particular focus on Kalinak and the head of the national police force.

The organizers of the protests said the interior minister stepping down “must be only a beginning.”

Kuciak’s last, unfinished story was about the activities of the Italian mafia in Slovakia and alleged ties to people close to Prime Minister Robert Fico. Ficos’ Smer-Social Democracy party is allegedly also linked to other corruption scandals.

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11:15 a.m.

Slovakian Interior Minister Robert Kalinak has resigned from his post amid the crisis following the slayings of an investigative journalist and his fiancee.

Kalinak’s resignation was a key requirement of a junior party in the government to remain in the ruling coalition. It’s not yet clear, however, if the move will be enough for the party, known as Most-Hid. Its leadership is meeting later Monday.

Kalinak’s move comes after tens of thousands of protesters across Slovakia demanded the resignation of the government and a thorough investigation into the shooting deaths of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova.

Kuciak’s last, unfinished story was about the activities of Italian mafia in Slovakia and their ties to people close to Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose government is allegedly also linked to other corruption scandals.

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