PRAGUE (AP) — Slovakia has quickly turned from what seemed to be a stable European Union country into chaos, in the wake of the unprecedented slayings of an investigative journalist and his fiancée.

In a speech last month, President Andrej Kiska talked about his country as "successful, proud and self-confident." On March 4, however, he said Slovakia faces a "serious political crisis" triggered by the fatal shootings of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova. Police said Kuciak's killing last month was likely linked to his work.

For his last unfinished story, the 27-year-old Kuciak reported on the influence of the Italian mafia in Slovakia and its possible ties to people close to Prime Minister Robert Fico. A growing number of people have started to turn against the Fico government, threatening its very existence.