The world is talking about the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Prime Minister Robert Fico was seriously injured in an armed attack following the Council of Ministers meeting held in the country’s Handlova town.
MANY BULLETS HIT
In the statement made on the Prime Minister’s social media account, Facebook, it was stated that many bullets hit Fico’s body during the assassination attempt. In the statement, it was reported that the Prime Minister, whose life was in danger, was transferred by helicopter from Handlova, where he was attacked, to the province of Banska Bystrica, approximately 215 kilometers away from the capital Bratislava.
“HE IS FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE”
Defense Minister Robert Kalinak held a press conference at the hospital where Fico was hospitalized in Bansk Bystrica.
Kalinak stated that Fico is still in surgery and fighting for his life, and that Fico’s condition is “really serious” and “the situation is bad.” Kalinak announced that 3 hours have passed since Fico’s surgery and everything is in the hands of the doctors.
ATTACK IMAGES ARE EMERGED
While images of the moment of the armed attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico emerged, it was stated that the attacker was 71-year-old Slovakian poet and activist Juraj Cintula. In the footage, it was seen that Cintula repeatedly shot Fico, who approached the citizens behind the security barrier, and Fico fell to the ground.
FIRST STATEMENT OF THE ATTACKER
During the interrogation of Cintula, who was detained after the attack, he said: “I do not like the policies of the government” and “The media was destroyed.” Why was Slovakia Radio and Television attacked? Why was the media left dysfunctional?” He was recorded as saying.
THE ATTACK IS THOUGHT TO BE POLITICAL
Minister of Internal Affairs Matus Sutaj Estok also stated that the attacker who attempted to assassinate Fico fired 5 shots and stated that they did their best to shed light on every aspect of the heinous incident. Estok stated that the attacker decided to carry out this action after the presidential election and that “according to preliminary information, the attack was clearly politically motivated.”
FICO’S NOTABLE OPINIONS AND CAREER
Fico, as the Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SMER), won the parliamentary elections held on September 30, 2023 and became the prime minister for the third time in the country.
Fico, who stopped his country’s arms aid to Ukraine as soon as he took office, was criticized within the European Union (EU) for his political approaches close to Russia.
Fico, who defends the view that a solution in Ukraine will not be possible with the help of weapons, expresses that he is in favor of peace in Ukraine.
Fico, who started his political life in 1990 in the Democratic Left Party of the period, was elected as a member of parliament for the first time in 1992 and entered the parliament. Fico, who left this party in 1999, founded SMER the same year.
Fico won the early elections in June 2006, in which he entered as the Chairman of SMER, and served as prime minister for 4 years.
Although SMER increased its votes in the 2010 elections in the country, Fico served as Deputy Prime Minister between 2010 and 2012.
Fico, who later became the prime minister once again in 2012, held this position until 2018. Fico had to resign from his post in March 2018 due to increasing pressure after the murder of young journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée in Slovakia. (AA-İHA)
