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May 16, 2024 – 06:40
(Keystone-ATS) Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, in “critical” condition after being shot on Wednesday, underwent surgery which went well. “I think in the end he will survive,” said Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba.
“He is not in a situation that threatens his survival at the moment,” he added to the BBC television channel.
Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok had previously indicated that he had been informed by doctors that the prime minister was “in critical condition”.
Robert Fico, 59, was shot several times on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting in Handlova, central Slovakia. He was evacuated by helicopter to Banska Bystrica, where he underwent surgery.
“A political attack”
According to Defense Minister Robert Kaliniak, this attack is “a political attack” to which we must “react accordingly”.
Slovak television broadcast images of a man in jeans handcuffed on the ground. The person detained and suspected is a 71-year-old man from the center of the country, identified by Slovak media as a local writer. “I think I can confirm it, yes,” replied the Minister of the Interior to journalists who questioned him about the identity of the shooter.
The suspect’s son told news site aktuality.sk that his father had a legally registered firearm. Asked about his father’s feelings about Robert Fico, he replied: “I’ll tell you one thing: He didn’t vote for him. That’s all I can say”.
“The police have arrested the attacker and will provide more information as quickly as possible,” announced the outgoing president of Slovakia, Zuzana Caputova, in a statement. She described the aggression of her political opponent as an “attack on democracy”.
A pro-Putin ex-communist
After returning to power as prime minister in October, Robert Fico questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty and stopped all military aid to the country. This former member of the Communist Party, who founded his own group and rejects the labels of “populist” and “demagogue”, opposed sanctions against Russia.
In April, he nevertheless made a change of tone regarding the war in Ukraine, advocating a peaceful solution which respects the “territorial integrity” of this country.
His ally in the government, Peter Pellegrini, won the presidential election last month, well ahead of a pro-European diplomat, by making the war in Ukraine a key element of the campaign in this country of 5.4 million inhabitants, member of the European Union and NATO.
His government coalition notably adopted a controversial bill on public radio and television RTVS which the government accuses of lacking objectivity.
Strong condemnations
The assassination attempt provoked strong reactions. The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen deplored a “despicable attack”, judging that “such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good”.
“Nothing can ever justify violence or such attacks,” stressed European Council President Charles Michel, while NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared himself “dismayed”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the “appalling” attack on the Slovak prime minister. His Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke of a “heinous crime”, describing Robert Fico “as a courageous and determined man”.
American President Joe Biden, for his part, condemned a “vile act of violence”, while Switzerland, through its President Viola Amherd, said it was “deeply shocked” and called for “protecting democracy”.
