Slovak deputy Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini is seen prior to the meeting with President of Slovakia Andrej Kiska, at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava, Slovakia, March 15, 2018. David W. Cerny/Reuters

BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini said he had presented himself to the president on Thursday as the candidate to lead a new government and delivered signatures showing that a majority in parliament support the switch.

Prime Minister Robert Fico offered to resign on Wednesday on condition that his party be allowed to choose his successor, as the ruling coalition seeks to calm a political crisis sparked by the murder of a journalist.