Slovakia’s prime minister in life-threatening condition: office
Robert Fico is in a life-threatening condition, the Slovak government office said in an emailed statement, Reuters reported.
Key events
Explainer: Who is Robert Fico?
Jon Henley
Robert Fico, Slovakia’s prime minister, was shot today in the town of Handlová, where he had been meeting supporters, and taken to hospital.
Born into a working-class family on 15 September 1964, Fico – a lawyer by profession – began his political career with the Communist party shortly before the 1989 Velvet Revolution that led to the breakup of former Czechoslovakia.
He set up his centre-left Smer-SD party in 1999 after being turned down for a ministerial post by the Democratic Left, the Communists’ political heirs.
Embroiled in allegations of corruption he has always denied, Fico is brash and outspoken, with a penchant for bodybuilding, football and fast cars.
Fico admires both Vladimir Putin, saying he would not permit the Russian president’s arrest under an international warrant if he came to Slovakia, and Hungary’s illiberal leader, Viktor Orbán, “who defends the interests of his country and his people”.
The Smer leader is also a tactician: in a three-decade career, he has navigated successfully between mainstream, pro-EU positions and a fiercely nationalist, anti-western rhetoric destined mainly for domestic consumption, proving more than willing to change tack depending on public opinion or political reality.
Read the full explainer here.
‘Shocked’: Sunak says thoughts with Fico’s family
The British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said he is “shocked to hear this awful news. All our thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family.”
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy said “the attack on Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is appalling. We strongly condemn this act of violence against our neighboring partner state’s head of government.”
The attack on Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is appalling.
We strongly condemn this act of violence against our neighboring partner state’s head of government. Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form, or sphere.…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 15, 2024
Video shows a suspect being detained after shots were fired at Fico.
Pellegrini: ‘Horrified by where the hatred towards another political opinion can lead’
Peter Pellegrini, Slovakia’s president-elect and an ally of Robert Fico, has said that “an assassination attempt on the Prime Minister is a threat to everything that has adorned Slovak democracy so far.”
“I am horrified by where the hatred towards another political opinion can lead. We don’t have to agree on everything, but there are plenty of ways to express our disagreement democratically and legally,” he added.
An assassination attempt on the Prime Minister is a threat to everything that has adorned Slovak democracy so far.
With horror, I received the information that Prime Minister Robert Fico became the target of an assassination attempt after a government meeting in Handlova, and…
— Peter Pellegrini (@PellegriniP_) May 15, 2024
Ľuboš Blaha, the deputy speaker of parliament, has blamed the media and progressives for today’s incident, Aktuality reports.
Slovakia’s prime minister in life-threatening condition: office
Robert Fico is in a life-threatening condition, the Slovak government office said in an emailed statement, Reuters reported.
More EU leaders are expressing their shock.
Die Nachricht vom feigen Attentat auf den slowakischen Ministerpräsidenten Fico erschüttert mich sehr. Gewalt darf keinen Platz haben in der europäischen Politik. In diesen Stunden sind meine Gedanken bei Robert Fico, den Angehörigen und den Bürgerinnen und Bürgern der Slowakei.
— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) May 15, 2024
Shocked by the news from Slovakia about the shooting of my colleague Robert Fico. I condemn any act of violence against our democracies. My thoughts are with him and his family.
— Petteri Orpo (@PetteriOrpo) May 15, 2024
Deeply shocked by the assasination attempt of Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico.
An attack against an elected leader is also an attack against the very idea of democracy.
I wish him a full and speedy recovery. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones.
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) May 15, 2024
Fico was conscious upon arrival at hospital
Fico was conscious when he was taken to a hospital in the town of Handlova and was treated for bullet wounds, a hospital spokesperson told Reuters.
He was then transported to a higher-level facility.
Fico was transported to a hospital in Banská Bystrica, because it would have taken too long to get to Bratislava, according to a post on his Facebook account.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
