Populist leader Robert Fico has been rushed to hospital after he was shot on Wednesday. Footage from the scene shows a member of the public walk up to the politician before firing a total of four times.
Slovakia’s PM Robert Fico shot in apparent assassination attempt
Robert Fico, Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister, has suffered ‘life-threatening injuries’ in a broad daylight shooting after a political event in a public assassination attempt.
The leader was in the town of Handlova – 112 miles north of Bratislava – when shots were fired outside the House of Culture. He had been in the town for a government meeting and was meeting supporters at the time. An update SINCE posted on Mr Fico’s official Facebook page says the Slovak PM was “shot multiple times and is currently in a life-threatening condition” and that he is being transported by helicopter to the nearby town of Banská Bystrica.
Slovak police have detained a man in connection with the shooting. Journalists at the scene said several shots were heard, the Associated Press reports, before he fell to the ground. He was then seen being hurried into a car by security.
Deputy speaker of parliament Lubos Blaha confirmed the incident during a session of Parliament and adjourned it until further notice, the Slovak TASR news agency said. The scene remained closed off on Wednesday afternoon.
Reports on TA3, a Slovakian TV station, said that Fico was hit in the stomach after four shots were fired. He was taken to a hospital in Banska Bystrica.
Witnesses at the scene described their horror after seeing the leader shot. One man told Slovak newspaper Dennik N, “I was just going to shake his hand,” while a woman said she head “three or four gunshots”. She added: “When the shots rang out, I almost became deaf,”
The 59-year-old leads the left wing nationalist Direction Social Democracy party and was re-elected last year, leading the country in a coalition with two other parties. He has however previously served twice between 2006 and 2010, and 2012 to 2018.
His politics are often described as “populist” and he has previously campaigned against Slovakia’s sending of arms to Ukraine in the war with Russia. He has also previously been accused of Islamophobia, saying in 2016 that Islam had “no place in Slovakia”.
The shooting comes three weeks ahead of crucial European Parliament elections, in which populist and hard-right parties in the 27-nation bloc appear poised to make gains.
Slovakia’s major opposition parties, Progressive Slovakia and Freedom and Solidarity, cancelled a planned protest against a controversial government plan to overhaul public broadcasting that they say would give the government full control of public radio and television. Fico has previously been vocal in his dislike of the country’s press, calling journalists “corrupt”.
Fico’s return to power caused concern among his critics that he and his party — which had long been tainted by scandal — would lead Slovakia away from its pro-Western course. He vowed to pursue a “sovereign” foreign policy, promised a tough stance against migration and non-governmental organisations, and campaigned against LGBTQ+ rights.
He earned a reputation for his tirades against journalists, and faced criminal charges in 2022 for allegedly creating a criminal group and misuse of power. In 2018, he and his government stepped down amid controversy after Slovakian investigative journalist Ján Kuciak was murdered along with his fiancée. Kuciak had been reporting on tax-related crimes implicating high-level Slovak politicians.
Other world leaders have publicly condemned the attack on the PM, with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs posting on X: “Whatever political or other differences there are, violence is completely unacceptable.
“I wish speedy recovery to Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico. I condemn this assassination attempt and call for thorough investigation.” Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová said she was “utterly shocked” by the attempt, which she condemned in “the strongest possible terms”.
The President stated: “I wish him lot of strength in this critical moment and early recovery. My thoughts are also with his family and close ones.”
Michala Šimeček, leader of opposition party Progressive Slovakia, said: “We unequivocally and strongly condemn any violence. We trust that Prime Minister Fico will be fine and that this terrible act will be brought to light as soon as possible.”
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission, said: “I strongly condemn the vile attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico. Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico and his family.”