Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico injured by several bullets: he is in a stable but worrying condition

He will be placed in an intensive care unit. MAXPPP – MARTIN DIVISEK

The state of health of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, very seriously injured by several bullets on Wednesday, has been stabilized but remains worrying.

The state of health of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, very seriously injured by several bullets on Wednesday, has been stabilized but remains worrying, the director of the hospital declared Thursday in which he was admitted. Peter Pellegrini, president-elect of Slovakia, said Thursday that he had been able to speak to the head of government. "He is able to speak, but only a few sentences and he is very tired", he told the press. The shooter, arrested at the scene of the attack, was charged with attempted murder on Thursday, the news site tvnoviny.sk reported.

"At this stage, Robert Fico's condition is stabilized but is really very serious. He will be placed in an intensive care unit", explained Miriam Lapunikova, director of the F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica, in central Slovakia, some 200 km east of Bratislava, the capital. The Prime Minister, 59, shot five times at close range after a government meeting relocated to the town of Handlova, underwent five hours of surgery after being hospitalized in critical condition

His condition has stabilized

The doctors managed to stabilize his condition during the night. "Unfortunately, his condition continues to be of great concern due to the complicated nature of the injuries but we all want to firmly believe that we will be able to overcome this situation", said Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak. The Bratislava government denounced a politically motivated assassination attempt and pointed the finger at the opposition, in a country that has been particularly polarized since the return to power of Robert Fico, a pro-Russian populist, last October.

The perpetrator of the shooting is a 71-year-old man, presented by Slovak media as a former security guard in a shopping center, author of three collections of poetry and member of the Slovak Society of Authors. According to his son, he held a weapons license. In an undated video posted on his Facebook page, he says he disagrees with government policy and denounces in particular “liquidated” media. The liberal and pro-Western Slovak opposition, which denounces attacks on the rule of law by the ruling party, canceled a demonstration and called for restraint to avoid stirring up protests. tensions. Robert Fico's political positions evolved during his career according to the dominant opinions in the electorate.

Capable of formerly defending European integration then now expressing a form of hostility towards the EU and United States, the Slovak Prime Minister now displays populist and nationalist opinions and he has distinguished himself in particular by refusing to continue to help Ukraine militarily in the face of the Russian invasion. His government dismantled the special prosecutor's office charged with fighting corruption and proposed reorganizing public broadcaster RTVS despite calls to protect press freedom.