President of Slovakia Andrej Kiska | Sean Gallup/Getty Images Slovak president rejects new government Andrej Kiska doesn’t want rock singer’s son to head key ministry.

Slovakia's president, Andrej Kiska, on Tuesday refused to approve a new government proposed by new Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, criticizing the choice of interior minister.

In a brief statement, Kiska said he wanted an interior minister who could guarantee an independent investigation into the killings of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová.

“The last thing we need here is a discussion about who was riding a motorcycle with whom or who was at birthday parties,” Kiska said, referring to the proposed interior minister, Josef Ráž, the son of a popular rock singer and owner of a hip club in the capital Bratislava.

Kiska was seemingly also referring to Ráž’s friendship with the man he was named to replace, Robert Kaliňák, who resigned on February 12. According to media reports, the two men frequently rode motorcycles together and Ráž has been a guest at Kaliňák’s birthday parties.

Though he did not say so explicitly, it is likely that Kiska will only accept an interior minister with no ties to Fico’s Smer-SD party, which the ex-prime minister still leads, and may even insist on someone with no party affiliation. He gave Pellegrini until Friday to present another Cabinet.

“He decided to be on the side of people who want a decent Slovak Republic, without a mafia affiliated with key representatives of government parties" — Igor Matovič, head of the Ordinary People party

Kuciak and Kušnírová were found shot dead in late February. At the time of his death, the 27-year-old Kuciak was investigating mafia ties to the Fico government. Fico resigned on March 15, following mass street protests and an ultimatum from one of his coalition partners to reshuffle the government or hold early elections.

Kuciak's reporting and follow-up media investigations revealed that a close Fico adviser and a senior security official had ties to an alleged member of the Calabrian crime syndicate known as the ’Ndrangheta.

The president’s move was welcomed by opposition parties, who continue to press for a snap election. In a statement sent to the daily SME, Igor Matovič, head of the Ordinary People party, praised Kiska for attempting to restore trust in the government.

“He could have simply acceded, but he decided to be on the side of people who want a decent Slovak Republic, without a mafia affiliated with key representatives of government parties," Matovič said in a statement.

Fico’s resignation did little to dampen the demands of the protesters. One day after he stepped down, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of towns and cities around the country to demand early elections.