BANSKA BYSTRIZA, Slovakia (AP) – Slovak politicians called for calm in the central European country on Wednesday after Prime Minister Roberto Fico was shot multiple times by would-be assassins. It was a rare example of political violence and was shocking despite the severity of the situation. Political polarization.
After the attack on the populist leader, hospital officials said Thursday that Fico was in critical but stable condition. More than once The attempt on his life shocked the small country and resonated across the continent, just weeks before the European elections.
One suspect is in custody, and Interior Minister Matusz Stasi Estoque said on Wednesday that an initial investigation revealed “obvious politics” behind the attack on Fico, who was attending a government meeting in the former mining town. It was determined that there was a “motive”.
The minister did not reveal the motive. Fico has long been a polarizing figure in Slovakia and abroad. Returned to power last year His pro-Russian and anti-American message has sparked further concern among European Union member states that he is abandoning his country’s pro-Western stance.
Wednesday’s attempt on Fico’s life comes at a time of increasing polarization in Slovakia, with thousands of demonstrators repeatedly rallying in the capital and across the country to protest his policies. I was disappointed. June is almost here European Parliament elections.
Fico’s political rival, outgoing President Zuzana Caputova, said on Thursday that leaders of the country’s political parties would meet to bring calm and “reject violence.”
“We want to call on everyone to take responsibility,” Caputova told a news conference in the capital Bratislava.
Caputova spoke alongside Slovakia’s next president of the Fico Union, Peter Pellegrini. The joint message from the two countries was a gesture aimed at easing the rising political tensions that have plagued the country in recent months, and appealed to Slovaks not to give in to political divisions.
“This assassination attempt deserves joint and unequivocal condemnation,” Pellegrini said. “I call on all political parties in Slovakia to suspend or at least significantly reduce their campaigning for the European Parliament elections. Campaigning is naturally associated with conflict, and conflict is the most important thing for Slovakia at the moment. Because it’s not necessary.”
Fico’s government, elected in September last year, suspended arms deliveries to Ukraine. There are plans to revise the criminal law. remove the special anti-corruption prosecutor; control public media. His critics fear he will lead Slovakia, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of 5.4 million people, down a more authoritarian path.
Zuzana Eliasova, a resident of the capital Bratislava, said the attack on Fico was a “shock” for the people and an attack on democracy at a time when political tensions were already high.
“I believe that many people, and society as a whole, will be looking at their own consciences, because there is so much polarization between different parts of society,” she said.
Doctors performed a five-hour surgery on Fico, whose condition was initially reported to be life-threatening, said Miriam Lapnikova, director of FD Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystrica. He is being treated in the intensive care unit.
Five shots were fired outside a cultural center in the town of Handlova, about 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital, government officials said.
Slovakia’s Security Council will meet in the capital Bratislava on Thursday to discuss the situation, a government official said, adding that a government meeting would also follow.
In Slovakia, Fico, who had previously served as prime minister twice, returned to power last year. Although he and his Smer party are often described as left-wing populists, he has also been compared to right-wing politicians such as his neighboring Hungarian nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán.
Fico’s return raised concerns among critics that he and his party, long mired in scandal, would push Slovakia away from the Western mainstream. He promised to take a tough stance on immigrants and non-governmental organizations, and campaigned against LGBTQ+ rights.
Despite the controversy surrounding Fico’s leadership, condemnation of this attack came from both his allies and opponents. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message to President Caputova expressing his support and wishing the prime minister a speedy and full recovery.
“This heinous crime cannot be justified,” Putin said in a message released by the Kremlin. “I know Robert Fico to be a brave and strong-willed person. I sincerely hope that these personal qualities will help him overcome this difficult situation.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also condemned the violence against the neighboring country’s government leaders.
“Every effort must be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, in any form or territory,” he said.
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Josek and Jenne reported from Bratislava, Slovakia. Associated Press writers Jan Gebert in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed.
