Deputy PM Peter Pellegrini to lead the new government of Slovakia


The Slovak president has chosen the deputy prime minister to form a new government when Prime Minister Robert Fico resigns. Slovakia has witnessed rising frustration over the government’s response to the murder of a journalist.

Amid a political crisis that has already seen two government ministers step down, Slovak President Andrej Kiska on Thursday said he would accept Prime Minister Robert Fico’s offer to resign and ask Deputy Prime Minister Peter Pelligrini to form a new government.

“I will entrust Mr. Pellegrini with forming the new government as soon as I receive the resignation of the current government of Fico,” President Andrej Kiska told reporters.
He had been struggling to manage political unrest sparked by the deadly shooting of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée at their home near Bratislava in February.
Slovak police said Kuciak’s death was “most likely” caused by his investigation into links between Slovakia’s politicians and Italian mafia.

The murders and Kuciak’s article, which was published after his death, opened the floodgates to a sea of anti-government sentiment in the country.

The ruling three-party coalition was facing a no-confidence vote by lawmakers scheduled for Monday.

Fico’s resignation has been seen as an attempt to avoid an early election and keep his coalition in power.

“Early elections would be almost certainly accompanied by chaos and instability,” Fico said.

Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak and Culture Minister Marek Madaric also handed in their resignations earlier this week.