Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico walks during the European Council Summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on April 18, 2024.
Kenzo Tribouillard AFP | Getty Images
Slovakia’s deputy prime minister said the country’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico was expected to survive a multiple-shot assassination attempt after surgery.
“Fortunately, from what I heard, the surgery went well and I guess in the end he will survive.” Tomas Taraba told BBC Newshour. “The current surgical status should not be life-threatening.”
Reuters quoted hospital officials on Thursday as saying the Slovak prime minister’s condition had stabilized but remained serious.
No other official update on Fico’s condition has been released. CNBC has contacted Slovakia’s interior and foreign ministries.
Fico, 59, was shot multiple times and seriously wounded on Wednesday at a political event in the Slovak town of Handlova. He was taken by helicopter to a hospital in nearby Banská Bystrica for emergency treatment. According to his official Facebook page.
“This was a politically motivated attempt that took place shortly after the presidential election,” Slovak Interior Minister Matusz Sutaj Eshtok reportedly told a news conference. Translated video clip from Sky News report.
Slovak President Zuzana Caputova said on Wednesday that a suspect had been detained In social media updates.
“The shooting of the prime minister is first and foremost an attack on humanity, but it is also an attack on democracy,” she said in an officially translated video. “The police have arrested the perpetrators and will provide further information where possible.”
Fico served as Prime Minister of Slovakia for about 10 years, served three times as Prime Minister, and led the Smer (Direction) Party. He recently took office after 2023 parliamentary elections and pledged in October to end military support for Ukraine and no longer support further sanctions on Russia. Reuters reports.
His government has also proposed an overhaul of public broadcaster RTVS and takeover by the state, as well as a controversial amendment to the country’s criminal code that would, among other measures, abolish the special prosecution responsible for overseeing serious crime official office.
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