In Budapest, Hungary, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times following a political event on Wednesday afternoon, marking a violent incident in his extensive political career.
His deputy prime minister, Tomas Taraba, later reassured the BBC that Fico was expected to survive the attack, stating, "he's not in a life-threatening situation at this moment."
Born in 1964 in what was then Czechoslovakia, Fico was a member of the Communist Party before the collapse of communism. He obtained a law degree in 1986 and entered Slovakia's parliament in 1992 as a member of the Party of the Democratic Left.
During the 1990s, he served as a representative of the Slovak Republic before the European Court of Human Rights and the European Commission of Human Rights. In 1999, he assumed the chairmanship of the Smer (Direction) party, a position he has held as a central figure ever since.
He and Smer have most often been described as left-populist, though he has also been compared to right-wing politicians like the nationalist prime minister of neighboring Hungary, Viktor Orbán
Fico regained power in Slovakia last year, having previously served two terms as prime minister, from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018. His third term marked him as the longest-serving head of government in Slovakia's history, as a member of the European Union and NATO.
Following five years in opposition, Fico's party secured victory in parliamentary elections last year on a platform that leaned towards Russia and opposed the United States. He pledged to cease Slovakia's military assistance to Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia's full-scale invasion. Fico has argued that NATO and the US played a role in provoking the conflict with Moscow.
Following his election win, the new government promptly halted arms shipments to Ukraine. Subsequently, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across Slovakia in repeated protests against Fico's pro-Russian stance and other policies, including proposals to amend the penal code to remove a special anti-corruption prosecutor and to exert influence over public media outlets.
Fico's return to power sparked apprehension among his critics, who feared that he and his party—already marred by scandal—would steer Slovakia away from its pro-Western trajectory. He pledged to pursue a "sovereign" foreign policy, advocated for a tough stance on migration and non-governmental organizations, and actively campaigned against LGBTQ+ rights.
Known for his verbal attacks on journalists, Fico found himself facing criminal charges in 2022 for allegedly orchestrating a criminal group and abusing his power. In 2018, he and his administration resigned amid controversy following the murder of Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée. Kuciak had been investigating tax-related crimes involving high-ranking Slovak officials.
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