Slovakia's Interior Minister Robert Kalinak has resigned amid a political scandal caused by the murder of a journalist and his fiancée, wrote BBC.

Mr Kalinak bowed to pressure from a junior coalition partner and quit his posts, stripping Prime Minister Robert Fico of a key ally.

His is the third resignation in a matter of weeks.

Reporter Jan Kuciak was investigating government corruption when he and fiancée Martina Kusnirova were killed.

The killings have gripped Slovakia, leading to calls for an investigation and to anti-government protests in Bratislava on Friday which were thought to be the largest in the country since the fall of Communism in 1989.

Slovakia's President Andrej Kiska called for a "radical reconstruction" of the government or fresh elections last week to restore public faith, after all seven suspects arrested in connection with the murders were released without charge.

One of the men released was an Italian who had done business deals with officials close to Mr Fico.

The week before, Maria Troskova, the prime minister's chief state adviser, and Viliam Jasan, the secretary of the state security council, quit amid allegations about past dealings with the man.

In a joint statement, the pair denied wrongdoing. They said they were stepping down during the investigation so their names would not be used in a political battle against Mr Fico.

Mr Fico hit back at the president, saying any changes would depend on his party and its two coalition partners.

"We won't dance on the graves of two young people, unlike opposition, media and, now, the president," he said.

However, Mr Fico's junior coalition partner, the Most-Hid group, demanded the resignation of Mr Kalinak in exchange for continued support.

Critics had claimed Mr Kalinak could not ensure an impartial investigation into the murders, in his role as overseer of the police.

"It's important for stability to be maintained," Mr Kalinak told reporters as he announced his resignation as both interior minister and deputy PM.

Mr Fico initially resisted attempts to remove Mr Kalinak but had suggested last week a willingness to compromise to keep Most-Hid's support.

The party's leadership plans to meet later on Monday.