VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — Several thousand angry protesters in Malta who want the prime minister to immediately step down are blocking him and his party’s lawmakers from leaving parliament.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced Sunday night that he would resign in January amid public pressure over the investigation into the 2017 killing of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

But some want Muscat to leave office now, and up to 4,000 demonstrators gathered near parliament’s entrance Monday. Police were trying to keep them back.

Last week, the former chief aide to Muscat was questioned by police investigating Galizia’s killing. A prominent businessman last week was charged as the bombing’s organizer.

Malta’s president, George Vella, has called on the nation to stay calm, saying, “These are not normal times.”