Robert Fico, the prime minister of Slovakia, was shot five times in an assassination attempt that shook the nation and sent him to the hospital on Wednesday.The attack happened following a government meeting that was held off-site in the town of Handlova in central Slovakia. According to local media, the prime minister was being greeted by a small group of people on the street outside the cultural centre, where the meeting was held, including the accused gunman.
The wounded prime minister is seen on camera being helped into a car by his staff before it leaves the scene quickly. After being brought to a nearby hospital, Fico was flown by helicopter to Banska Bystrica, a significant trauma centre, which was located around 20 miles (30 kilometres) away. Nobody else was hurt.Both the country’s Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák and Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok called the shooting “politically motivated,” with Šutaj Eštok saying that “the suspect made the decision to do it shortly after the presidential election.”
Slovakian deputy Prime Minister Tomáš Taraba said he believed the prime minister would survive following surgery that “went well” and was “not in a life-threatening situation at this moment.”“I was very shocked and tried to contact people to figure out how serious his condition was,” Taraba said in an interview with BBC’s Newshour program on Wednesday, recalling the moment he heard about Fico’s shooting.
“Fortunately, as far as I know the operation went well and I guess in the end he will survive,” he said.Taraba told the BBC that Fico “was heavily injured” and a bullet “went through the stomach and the second one hit the joints.”Fico is the most powerful lawmaker in Slovakia. Unlike the president, whose role has limited scope, the prime minister holds rank as the decision-making head of government.The official statement posted on Fico’s official Facebook said the PM was taken to Banska Bystrica instead of the capital city of Bratislava because “an acute intervention” was necessary. Handlova is about two hours’ drive from the capital Bratislava.
Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová said the suspected gunman was detained by the police. She said law enforcement agencies will release more information when they can and asked the public not to spread unconfirmed rumors.“There is no question that this was politically motivated. The inability to accept the choice of people, which some may not like … it leads to this,” he said.Interior Minister Šutaj-Eštok called for calm, saying “those who are endorsing this attack as well as those who are calling for some sort of a revenge. And I am asking you, the media too, please, use your power, your influence. Because until now, it was some of you who sow the hate,” he said.
Following the shooting, Šutaj-Eštok said the country is “experiencing the worst day of its democracy.”“For the first time in the 31 years of our democratic sovereign republic, someone has decided to express a political opinion not in an election but with a gun on the street,” he wrote on Facebook.Slovaks have been deeply divided over the country’s direction and position in the world since Fico’s return to power last year. Supporters see Fico as a caring leader who has their interests at heart; critics say he is a populist whose pro-Russian leanings pose major risks for the country.The country has seen weeks of largely peaceful protests over his coalition government’s controversial domestic reforms. The government is also trying to shut down public service broadcaster RTVS and plans to replace it with a new national broadcaster, which would be under tighter control of the government.
Source: Here
