Robert Fico’s condition remains serious. The question arises as to who will govern the country in the absence of the seriously injured Prime Minister. The suspected assassin is being investigated for attempted murder.
After the assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, the politician is not expected to recover quickly. The 59-year-old remained in the intensive care unit of the University Hospital in Banska Bystrica on Thursday after a five-hour operation. Doctors must decide on further action, such as a transfer to the capital Bratislava, said clinic director Miriam Lapunikova to the newspaper “Dennik N”. The committee is expected to meet on Monday.
Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak described Fico’s health condition as still serious on Thursday. The head of government was hit by four bullets and the injuries were very serious. “The doctors managed to stabilize the condition,” said Kalinak. Fico is not yet out of danger. Lapunikova warned that the effects of the gunshot wounds could make recovery difficult. An experienced surgeon who is not part of the treatment team said “Dennik N” that the next three to four days will be crucial.
If the head of government were to resign for health reasons, the entire government would automatically collapse in accordance with the Slovak constitution. The country’s constitution does not seem to have taken into account the fact that a prime minister cannot continue in office because of an assassination attempt.
However, the change at the top of the government in 2018 could serve as a model. At that time, Fico resigned under public pressure following the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak. The coalition parties agreed on Peter Pellegrini as their joint candidate for succession, who was then appointed by the president. While Fico takes a break until he is fully recovered, his deputies will continue to run the government – with Kalinak first in line.
Criminal investigations into attempted murder have been launched against the suspected attacker. It is a 71-year-old from the small town of Levice. The man is a “lone wolf” who is dissatisfied with political developments in Slovakia, said Interior Minister Matus Sustaj Estok. However, he is not a member of a radicalized political group, neither right-wing nor left-wing.
Attention is now also turning to possible failures in security measures in the small town of Handlova, where the shooting occurred after a cabinet meeting when Fico tried to shake hands with supporters gathered at a fence. The authorities are investigating whether his bodyguards did not protect the head of government sufficiently or whether incidents of this kind are simply difficult to prevent in an open society. Several experts have criticized the security measures on site or even spoken of a “failure”. Some media also raised the question of how a video of the suspected attacker, apparently recorded at a police station – possibly even by an officer – could have been made public.
Meanwhile, outgoing President Zuzana Caputova and her elected successor Pellegrini invited the political parties to joint talks. “Let us get out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations,” appealed Caputova in Bratislava. Pellegrini called on the parties to temporarily suspend or at least limit their election campaign before the European elections on June 9th. In the neighboring country of the Czech Republic, the unions canceled a day of protest with demonstrations planned for May 21st out of consideration for the situation in Slovakia.