Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, is in a stable state of health following a shooting incident, but remains in a critical situation, according to authorities. Amidst the aftermath of the incident, which amplified existing intense political tension, officials are asking for peaceful conduct. Mr Fico was the victim of at least five gunshots on Wednesday, during a casual get-together with some loyalists post a governmental session in Handlová, positioned around 150km to the northeast of the capital city, Bratislava.
The individual suspected of conducting the shooting was described as a solitary actor who was present at anti-government protests, by the country’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Matúš Šutaj Eštok. Eštok explained the cause of the attack as being politically motivated and hinted that the accused had been in disagreement with the governmental strategies concerning media and justice sectors.
Robert Kaliňák, the Defence Minister, labelled the attempt on Mr Fico’s life as premeditated. On Thursday afternoon, Kaliňák reported that Mr Fico was medically stable, but stressed it was premature to posit that he was out of danger. Given the substantial harm caused by the four bullets, the body’s reaction is predicted to pose a significant challenge, he added.
This violent incident occurred three weeks prior to the European Parliament elections. According to predictions, right-wing populist parties across the European bloc of 27 nations are expected to gain a foothold.
In light of these circumstances, Slovakia’s President-elect Peter Pellegrini, a political ally of Mr Fico, made an appeal to all political entities in Slovakia to either halt or significantly decrease their campaigning for the European Parliament elections. Pellegrini insisted that Slovakia needs to evade any more conflicts, expressing his appeal in a formal announcement.
Juraj Cintula, a 71-year-old man from Levice, was identified by local press as the suspect behind the attack. It was revealed that he used to be a shopping centre security guard, authored three poetry volumes, and has expressed his political ambitions on YouTube.
The authorities had established their presence at the nondescript grey multi-storey housing unit where Mr. Cintula had dwelled for four decades by Thursday. According to aktuality.sk, Mr. Cintula’s son confirmed his father was a lawful owner of a gun licence.
An unidentified Facebook video that Reuters confirmed to depict the accused man featured him expressing disagreement with government policies.
Post the incident, Mr. Fico was whisked away to a hospital in Banská Bystrica. Mr. Kaliňák labelled the act as an outright “political attack”.
On Thursday morning, Director of the medical facility, Miriam Lapunikova, reported that the premier’s five-hour surgery to treat several bullet injuries had required the efforts of two medical teams. Mr. Fico was put under induced coma following the procedure, Slovakian press disclosed. Ms. Lapunikova informed that although Mr. Fico’s condition has stabilised, it remains critically grave and he will be admitted to the intensive care unit.
Outside the hospital, Mr. Kaliňák shared with journalists that the medical team had successfully stabilised the patient’s health during the night. However, he mentioned that the severity and complexity of the injuries still had him in grave condition. And despite the unfavourable circumstances, Mr. Kaliňák expressed hope that they would be able to handle the situation.
On Thursday, Slovaks travelled to work with a heavy heart, still grappling with the unsettling news. Bratislava shop owner Mária Szabó lamented, “I’m truly speechless. No one deserves this, regardless of their political affiliation. It is clear that our nation is headed down a perilous path.”
Mr. Fico, a seasoned populist statesman, resumed power after last year’s election with promises including not providing any further ammunition support to Ukraine. His controversial policies, including a campaign against LGBTQ+ rights and his critical views on sanctions against Russia, are a regular source of public dispute. His tenure since his comeback has been turbulent, marked by mass protests across the nation against policies that are feared to jeopardise press freedom and the removal of a specialised prosecutor responsible for major crime and corruption cases.
Mr Fico is known for his harsh censure of Slovakia’s traditional media and shunning certain media platforms. His party colleagues have also targeted the media and opposition in the recent past. Heightened tensions arose from the tightly contested presidential elections that occurred last month, where Mr Fico’s position further solidified due to his confidant, Mr Pellegrini’s victory.
Amid the strain, Mr Eštok proclaimed on Wednesday that the nation was towing the precipice of internal conflict. In response, Slovak president Zuzana Čaputová vowed to organise a collective assembly with all legislative party leaders to alleviate the political discord, which was further intensified by a shooting.
Gábor Czímer, a political correspondent for the Slovak news platform ujszo.com, informed the Associated Press that Mr Fico’s reassumption of power displayed a distinct societal divide into two factions within Slovakia- One leaning towards Russia and the other advocating for an increased alliance with the EU and the West.
The fallout from the attempted political assassination, the first substantial one in over two decenniums to target a European political leader, reverberated across Europe. The incident was linked to the growing unrest and division in Europe’s political sphere.
In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz admitted to being deeply affected by Mr Fico’s assassination attempt. Additionally, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk disclosed on Thursday that he had received threats following the attempt on Mr Fico’s life. Mr Tusk made his revelation on platform X, accompanying it with an illustrative screenshot of a comment on X suggesting that the Polish should follow the Slovakians’ example with him if he did not invest in a significant airport project in Central Poland.
Poland’s political climate has been particularly volatile of late, as highlighted by the 2019 assassination of Gdansk’s liberal mayor, a vocal critic of the then incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) party’s anti-immigration stance.
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