Slovakia’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico, faced a life-threatening situation on Wednesday after being shot in what his office described as an “attempted assassination.”
According to updates on Fico’s Facebook page, he sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was in critical condition.
Due to the urgency of the situation, he was being transported to a hospital in Banská Bystrica instead of the capital, Bratislava.
The country’s president confirmed the attack on the 59-year-old prime minister shortly after the news emerged.
“Utterly shocked by today’s brutal and reckless attack on #Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, which I condemn in strongest possible terms,” Zuzana Čaputová said in a message on X. “I wish him lot of strength in this critical moment and early recovery. My thoughts are also with his family and close ones,” she added.
Lubos Blaha, vice-chairman of the central European country’s parliament, said that Fico was shot and injured, according to Slovak news agency TASR.
Reports revealed that several shots were fired in the town of Handlova, about 110 miles northeast of the capital Bratislava. Fico was greeting members of the public after a government meeting, the news agency reported.
Photos on news agencies showed a man appearing to be detained in Handlova. Video captured at the scene and shared on social media showed another man being carried into a car by security staff in dark suits.
Fico was elected in October 2023 as leader of the leftist Smer party, meaning direction, standing on a pro-Russian and anti-American populist platform.
The veteran politician had already served as prime minister twice before returning to the role last year as part of a power-sharing deal with two other parties.
Fico has found common cause with Viktor Orban, the right-wing authoritarian leader of Hungary, Slovakia’s neighbor to the south, in ending support for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion and criticizing Western support for Kyiv.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von dee Leyen, the executive body of the European Union, strongly condemned the attack in a post on X.
“Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good,” she said.
Slovakia is an E.U. member.
Other European leaders offered their support.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the incident was “shocking” and added, “I wish the premier to get well soon. We cannot tolerate violence, there’s no place for it in society.” The Czech Republic and Slovakia formed Czechoslovakia until 1992.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz decried what he called a “cowardly attack” and said that “violence must not be existent in European politics.”
Slovakia’s main opposition parties canceled a planned protest against a plan to overhaul public broadcasting that they say would give Fico’s government full control of public radio and television, according to the Associated Press.
“We absolutely and strongly condemn violence and today’s shooting of Premier Robert Fico,” said Progressive Slovakia leader Michal Simecka. “At the same time we call on all politicians to refrain from any expressions and steps which could contribute to further increasing the tension.”
Peter Pellegrini, a close Fico ally and incoming president of the coutntry, said the incident marked “an unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy.”
He added,”If we express different political opinions with guns in the squares, and not in polling stations, we endanger everything we have built together in 31 years of Slovak sovereignty.”
