![Attack against Fico: the Slovak political class in full examination of conscience Attack against Fico: the Slovak political class in full examination of conscience](https://media.lesechos.com/api/v1/images/view/66461754f1d5b7404872c2a9/1280x720/01101110747934-web-tete.jpg)
Slovakia was in a state of shock on Thursday, twenty-four hours after the attack which almost took the life of its Prime Minister Robert Fico, still in a “very serious” condition, according to the Banska Bystrica hospital where he suffered. Wednesday an operation lasting several hours. The country’s president-elect, Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Robert Fico, called on political parties to suspend their campaigning for the June 8 European elections.
“Slovakia does not need more confrontations at this time” nor “mutual accusations,” declared the former Prime Minister (2018-2020), who was elected in April and will be inaugurated in June. In a country torn by divisions between a pro-Kremlin government and a pro-Western opposition, outgoing President Zuzana Caputova, present alongside her successor, also urged us to “escape the vicious circle of hatred”.
“We want to send a signal (…) in this tense situation,” insisted the former lawyer, elected president in 2019. “What happened was an individual act but the current climate is the result of our collective actions,” she added, inviting the various political leaders to the presidential palace “to calm things down and reject violence.”
Stop the hate
She knows exactly what she’s talking about. Highly esteemed in European circles, the Slovak president explained last year that she would not run for a second term after receiving threats, not only against her but also against her family. Robert Fico, a populist leader who draws inspiration from the methods of Viktor Orban in Hungary, himself described her as an “American agent”.
Other influential voices have joined the calls of the outgoing president and the president-elect. In particular that of the Minister of the Interior Matus Sutaj Estok. “I want to appeal to the public, journalists and all politicians to stop spreading hatred,” he declared on Wednesday, seeking to “put an end to attacks and hatred on social networks and in the media”, whether it is the opposition or the ruling coalition.
Physical violence
“What has been unleashed in recent weeks and months is incomprehensible and it is our duty to put an end to it,” he added. It was not heard by all members of the majority. Andrej Danko, leader of the Slovak National Party (SNS) which has been part of the ruling coalition since last year, for example placed responsibility for the attack on the opposition and the “liberal” media. He spoke of the launch of a “political war”. A deputy from Smer, Robert Fico’s party, told the opposition, in full Parliament, that “the Prime Minister must today fight to stay alive because of your hatred”.
Slovak political life is known for its verbal and physical violence. In 2018, journalist Jan Kuciak, who was investigating corruption scandals, and his partner were assassinated. The ensuing turmoil caused the resignation of Robert Fico, already Prime Minister from 2012 to 2018.
Poetry lover
In this extremely charged atmosphere, political scientist Miroslav Radek told AFP of his concern: “I fear that this attack will not be the last and that members of the opposition will in turn be targeted in the near future.” Robert Fico is the first European head of government to be targeted in this way, since the assassination in 2003 of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. Sweden also lost its Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986 in an attack.
On Thursday, Slovak police indicted the man who shot Robert Fico for “premeditated attempted murder”. He is a former security guard and poetry lover. He attracted Robert Fico by calling him by his first name on Wednesday after a government meeting relocated to a small town. He fired five bullets at close range. Robert Fico’s life no longer seems in danger but his injuries are “complicated”, according to the Deputy Prime Minister.