Slovakia\u2019s Interior Minister has resigned following the biggest street protests in decades over the death of\u00a0Jan Kuciak, an investigative journalist.<\/p>\n
On Friday, an estimated 50,000 people rallied in Bratislava and thousands more in other cities to call on Slovakia\u2019s Prime Minister,\u00a0Robert Fico, to dismiss his closest ally,\u00a0Robert Kalinak.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important for stability to be maintained, therefore I decided to resign the post of deputy prime minister and Interior Minister,\u201d Mr Kalinak said.<\/p>\n
The death of Mr\u00a0Kuciak, who probed fraud cases involving politically-connected businessmen, has stoked public anger over persistent corruption allegations and pushed Mr\u00a0Fico\u2019s government towards collapse.<\/p>\n
Mr Fico is hoping to keep his coalition government together after demonstrators demanded the resignation of his cabinet and a thorough investigation into Mr Kuciak\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
His junior partner in government, the Most-Hid (Bridge) group, had demanded he dismiss Mr Kalinak, a founding member of his Smer party, by Monday.<\/p>\n
Critics argue Mr Kalinak, who oversees the police as Interior Minister, cannot guarantee an independent investigation into the killing of Mr Kuciak and his fiancee.<\/p>\n
It is unclear if Mr Kalinak\u2019s resignation will satisfy the party. Its leadership is meeting later on Monday.<\/p>\n
Mr Kuciak\u2019s last, unfinished story was about the activities of the Italian mafia in Slovakia and their ties to people close to Mr\u00a0Fico, whose government is allegedly also linked to other corruption scandals.<\/p>\n