President, Prime Minister, Parliamentary Speaker meet to diffuse tensions

President Andrej Kiska, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and Parliamentary Speaker Andrej Danko (SNS) met at Bratislava Castle on Friday in order to reduce political tensions, by adopting a joint declaration to restore trust in government officials. Tensions ignited after the double murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová, with the writer's posthumously published article listing alleged ties between Italian mafia and Slovak officials. President Kiska's proposed declaration included five key points on which to agree, from reinstating trust in public bodies to supporting citizens' right to protest. Prime Minister Fico brought his own memorandum along to the meeting, with similar points as Kiska's, however the prime minister's declaration also called for calm and highlighted the risk of danger for those who choose to protest. As an ongoing sign of uncertainty, the three officials did not immediately agree on a combined joint statement, rather agreeing to disagree on some points.