He’s not completely out of the woods yet, but he’ll make it. Just 24 hours after the attack that seriously injured him, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico remains in intensive care in conditions still considered serious, but he is stable and able to speak. While initial investigations revealed that the attacker Juraj Cintula is “a lone wolf” who acted “out of revenge”. The 71-year-old “non-violent” but armed activist was formally accused of attempted premeditated murder and, according to local media, he said he was very “proud” of his gesture. He now risks 25 years in prison.
ANSA Agency The PROFILE – Who is Robert Fico, the populist leader close to Orban and Putin – News – Ansa.it Re-elected 7 months ago, cold towards Kiev and against sanctions in Moscow (ANSA)The president-elect of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, visited Fico in the Roosevelt hospital in Banska Bystrica, the city 200 km from Bratislava where the prime minister was attending a political engagement when Cintula fired 5 gunshots at him. And it was Pellegrini himself who made it known that the prime minister, having emerged from the medically induced coma, was able to speak. “He spoke to me only for a couple of minutes”, but now he “needs rest”, said the president, underlining that before Fico there are now “the most important hours and days”. The director of the hospital, Miriam Lapuníková, announced that the prime minister’s condition is stable, but still serious after the first surgical operation, which lasted 5 hours. The prime minister will have to undergo a second hip surgery.
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The country is in shock, between political tensions and misinformation on social media aimed at exacerbating feelings, especially in view of the European elections. “We have crossed a red line” of political hatred, Pellegrini said, inviting the parties to “suspend” the campaign for the vote on 8 June. “Slovakia does not need further clashes and mutual accusations at this time,” he added. The elected head of state, who will take office in June, and the outgoing president, Zuzana Caputova, have invited leaders of all parties to the Grasalkovich Palace in Bratislava, the seat of the presidency, to condemn the violence and “ease tensions”.
The representatives of Fico’s populist government agree in the “politically motivated” attack. “The political confrontation led up to an attempted assassination,” Defense Minister Robert Kalinak said. Interior colleague Matus Sutaj Estok reported that Centula “is a lone wolf”: “He is not part of political movements – he explained – but he was dissatisfied with the outcome of the elections. It was an attack on democracy”.
“We want to avoid a civil war”, which is why “I appeal to the media: don’t add fuel to the fire”, added Estok, accusing the press of “lies” and of “giving space to conspiracy theories”. Like the one, already denied by the police, that Centula’s partner was Ukrainian. 32 social media users have already been targeted by the Slovak police for having praised the attacker’s gesture.
The entire EU is now looking at Slovakia with apprehension, fearing that political violence will overflow and flood the campaign for the European elections. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had received death threats on social media after the attack on Fico: “The Slovaks gave us an example of what should be done with Tusk”, was one of the offending tweets. While the head of the Belgian government Alexander De Croo denounced a radio presenter who urged his listeners: “You see, it is possible to overthrow a prime minister. I would say: forward.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban instead regrets that, with the attack on the pro-Russian Fico, Budapest is now left “alone to fight for peace”. While for former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev the attack represents “the quintessence of the new Europe: idiotic and Russophobic”.
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