On Wednesday, the Slovak Prime Minister was the victim of an assassination attempt. Shot several times, Robert Fico was taken to hospital. The government said his life was “still in danger” in the evening, while the attacker was arrested by police.
Racing car enthusiast, Putin admirer, former communist ready to ally with the far right… Who is Robert Fico?
Born on September 15, 1964 and aged 59, the man is a lawyer by profession and speaks English fluently. He built a European reputation as his country’s representative before the European Court of Human Rights (Cdeh) in Strasbourg from 1994 to 2000.
Married and father of one child, this lover of beautiful cars began his political career within the Communist Party, just before the “Velvet Revolution” of 1989 overthrew the regime of the former Czechoslovakia. Ten years later, in 1999, he left the Democratic Left Party (SDL), the political heir of the Communist Party, to found his own party, Smer-Social-Democrat (Smer-SD).
Three terms as Prime Minister
In 2006, his party largely won the legislative elections, catapulting him to head of government, two years after Slovakia joined the European Union. To rule the country, he has allied himself with the far-right Slovak National Party (SNS), which shares his anti-refugee rhetoric and populist leanings. He also allegedly took advantage of the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009 to boost his popularity by refusing to impose austerity measures.
In 2010, his coalition was defeated, sending Robert Fico back into opposition. But two years later, he won the elections again and took over the reins of Slovakia from 2012 to 2018. During his second term, he stood out during the migration crisis in Europe in 2015. At that time, Robert Fico took a strong stance towards migrants, refusing to “give birth to a distinct Muslim community in Slovakia” and criticizing the European quota program aimed at redistributing refugees.
A pro-Putin personality
In 2018, Robert Fico had to resign, following the crisis arising from the assassination of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée. The journalist was investigating in particular the links between the Italian mafia and the government of Robert Fico. This murder sparked a wave of protests across the country. Despite the protests, Robert Fico managed to retain his seat as a deputy in Parliament, once again joining the opposition.
Returning to the helm after winning the elections at the end of 2023, he has clearly shown himself in favor of Russia. Before his re-election, he assured that his country would no longer send “a single bullet” to Ukraine while Slovakia, a member of the EU and NATO, had provided assistance since the start of the invasion.
Engaged against Ukraine
Upon taking office, Robert Fico immediately ended military aid and advocated peace talks with Russia. His words were also supportive of Russia. He thus assured that the war in Ukraine had “started in 2014” when “Ukrainian fascists” had killed “civilians of Russian nationality”, echoing Russia’s discourse.
At the start of the year, he again spoke out on Ukraine, saying that it was “not an independent and sovereign country” but “entirely under the influence and control of the United States”.
Then for Ukraine (or not)
In April, he adopted a more conciliatory speech, calling for a peaceful solution that respects Ukrainian “territorial integrity and sovereignty”. “The use of military force by Russia in Ukraine is a gross violation of international law,” he insisted.
Unsurprisingly, despite this speech, many have always considered him to be an admirer of Vladimir Putin and in particular of his authoritarianism. “His relations with Russia are historically determined by the socialist motto ‘With the Soviet Union for eternity’,” explains Slovak sociologist Michal Vasecka in a book dedicated to the Slovak Prime Minister.
Robert Fico also affirmed that he would not authorize the arrest of Vladimir Putin, under an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, if he ever visited Slovakia.