Slovak Prime Minister ‘is not in a situation that threatens his survival at the moment’
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in a state ” critical “ after being injured by several bullets on Wednesday, underwent surgery which went well, Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba told the BBC. “I think in the end he will survivehe assured. He is not in a situation that threatens his survival at the moment. »
Robert Fico, 59, was evacuated by helicopter to Banska Bystrica, a town in central Slovakia, the government said in a statement. According to the Minister of Defense, Robert Kaliniak, who went to the hospital where the Prime Minister was operated on, this attack is “a political attack” to which it will be necessary “react accordingly”.
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According to Slovak media, the person arrested is a 71-year-old man from a small town located an hour’s drive from Handlova. A former supermarket security guard, he had founded a small literature club and wrote poetry, without ever having succeeded in breaking through. He posted a video seven years ago on YouTube where he said he wanted to launch a political party ” against violence “, while also having published texts deeply hostile to migrants or Roma.
After returning to power as prime minister in October, Robert Fico questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty and stopped all military aid to the country. This former member of the Communist Party, who founded his own group and rejects the labels of “populist” and of “demagogue”, opposed sanctions against Russia. In April, he nevertheless made a change of tone regarding the war in Ukraine, advocating a peaceful solution that respects “territorial integrity” from this country.
The leaders of the European Union institutions reacted strongly to the news. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, notably deplored “the despicable attack” against the Slovak Prime Minister, ruling that “Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good”.