Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico’s is “between life and death” just two days after an attempt was made on his life by a ‘lone wolf’ attacker, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said.
A man has been charged with the attempted murder of Mr Fico, and while he has not been formally named, media reports identify him as a 71-year-old from the town of Levice.
The attack represents the first serious assassination attempt on a European political leader in two decades and drew a shocked response from the international community.
“We are praying for the prime minister and root for Slovakia,” Mr Orban said on public radio. “We wish him a speedy recovery and return to work. Robert Fico is between life and death.”
Mr Orban said even if Mr Fico recovers, he will be out of work at a vital time as the continent gears up for European Parliament elections next month.
“We are facing an election that will decide not just about members of European Parliament but along with the US election can determine the course of war and peace in Europe,” Mr Orban said.
“In that situation we would have badly needed Robert Fico and a pro-peace Slovakia.”
Mr Fico was shot at close range as he greeted supporters in the town of Handlova and was hit in both the stomach and arm.
The attack, which was carried out by the 71-year-old former shopping centre security guard, caught Mr Fico’s security detail by surprise, who then detained the suspect while others bundled the prime minister into a car.
Mr Fico was rushed to a nearby hospital in an air ambulance, with injuries described as life-threatening, and was then transferred to another facility in Banska Bystrica, where surgeons and trauma teams worked through the night to stabilise him.
On Thursday, the hospital director told a press conference that Mr Fico’s condition was stable, but “truly very serious”, and he had been moved to an intensive care unit.
President-elect Peter Pellegrini said that he had visited the prime minister, who had been able to speak a few sentences.
Local media reports describe the suspect as a writer and political activist, but there have been no official comments on these claims.
Interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok said yesterday at a news conference that the attacker had acted alone and had previously taken part in anti-government protests.
“This is a lone wolf who had radicalised himself in the latest period after the presidential election,” Mr Sutaj Estok said.
The presidential elections took place in March and April of this year.
Mr Sutaj Estok added that the suspect listed government policies on Ukraine and its plans to reform the country’s public broadcaster and dismantle the special prosecutor’s office as reasons for the attack.