Prime Minister Robert Fico „is not currently in a life-threatening condition,” said Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba in an interview with the BBC on Wednesday. The assassination attempt occurred on Wednesday just before 3:00 PM following an out-of-town cabinet meeting. The assailant fired five shots, three of which were said to have hit Fico.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot on Wednesday in the town of Handlova, near Banska Bystrica, after an out-of-town cabinet meeting. Media reports indicated that he sustained injuries to his abdomen and chest.
Prime Minister Robert Fico is the founder and leader of the Direction – Slovak Social Democracy party (Smer-SSD). He is a politician who has held the position of head of government for the longest time in Slovakia’s history – over 10 years in total.
He is considered a populist. A key element of his program in the last election campaign was the refusal to support Ukraine in its fight.
Slovakia’s Minister of the Interior, Matusz Szutaj Esztok, stated that „initial information indicates a clear political motivation (of the attacker – editor’s note).” He added that preliminary police findings suggest the attacker decided to target Prime Minister Fico shortly after the presidential elections, in which Fico’s political ally, Peter Pellegrini, won.
The assassination attempt on Robert Fico has caused shock on the international stage. Expressions of outrage have poured in from around the world. Support for the injured prime minister has been expressed by the presidents of the USA and Russia, the NATO Secretary General, and the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Poland.
