On Thursday, May 16th, a deputy prime minister in Slovakia announced that Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot four times and gravely injured in an assassination attempt on Wednesday. The severity of his wounds still remains critical, and it is uncertain if he will recover. The assassination attempt on Wednesday shocked the whole of Europe.
According to reports from Reuters and the BBC, this shooting incident marks the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader in over 20 years, prompting condemnation from the international community. Political analysts and lawmakers have expressed concerns that this assassination exposes the increasingly polarized and intense political climate in Slovakia and across Europe.
Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak stated, “Unfortunately, I cannot say at this point that we are winning the battle to save Fico, or that the prognosis is positive, as the extent of the damage from the four gunshot wounds is extensive, making it difficult to predict the body’s response to treatment and potential complications.”
On Thursday, Miriam Lapunikova, the head of F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica, confirmed that the 59-year-old Prime Minister underwent a five-hour surgery to treat multiple gunshot wounds with the assistance of two teams. She informed reporters that his condition has stabilized but remains critical, and he will continue to receive treatment in the intensive care unit.
Peter Pellegrini, a close ally of Fico and the President-elect, visited Fico and reported that Fico was able to speak a few words. Pellegrini stressed the urgency of the situation, saying, “The situation is very critical, and we must give him a lot of strength and maintain a positive attitude.”
Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok disclosed in a press conference that the gunman acted alone and had previously participated in anti-government protest activities. The police have charged him with attempted murder. Estok mentioned, “He is a lone wolf who became radicalized in the period following the presidential election in April.”
The Interior Minister added that the suspect targeted the government’s policy towards Ukraine and plans to reform the national public broadcaster as well as dissolve the office of a special prosecutor as reasons for the attack.
President Zuzana Caputova of Slovakia called for calm in the midst of the political tension. President-elect Pellegrini urged all parties to suspend disputes and ease campaigning activities for the upcoming European Parliament elections next month.
“If the Slovak people urgently need anything today, it is at least basic consensus and unity among Slovakia’s political representatives,” Pellegrini emphasized. He won the presidential election in April, a mainly ceremonial position.
Fico has been a dominant figure in Slovak politics for most of the past two decades, winning reelection last October for a fourth term as Prime Minister. He has merged leftist economic views with nationalism, taking advantage of widespread dissatisfaction with living standards, but has also been viewed as a divisive figure. Critics argue that his new reforms threaten the rule of law and media freedom in Slovakia, a member of the EU and NATO.
Fico has also called for an end to sanctions against Russia and to cease supplying weapons to Ukraine.
The assassination attempt occurred after a government meeting hosted by Fico in Handlova on Wednesday when he was approached by the shooter on the street. The Slovak news media reported that the 71-year-old gunman was a former security guard at a shopping center, a poet with three published collections, and a member of the Slovak Writers’ Association. According to Aktuality.sk, the suspect’s son stated that his father legally owned a firearm.
Official confirmation of the shooter’s identity and background is still pending.
This event has raised questions about Fico’s security arrangements. Despite having several bodyguards with him, the attacker managed to shoot him at close range five times.
In an undated video shared on Facebook, the assailant expressed, “I disagree with the government’s policies,” and criticized plans to reform the public broadcaster. Reuters confirmed that the man in the video matches the photo of the suspect arrested following the Fico shooting incident.
The largest opposition party in Slovakia, the pro-Western Progressive Slovakia party, swiftly condemned the shooting incident and called off a planned protest rally scheduled for Wednesday evening. The party also urged all politicians to avoid escalating the current tense situation.