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Slovak Lawmakers Unite Behind Condemnation of Premier’s Shooting
(Bloomberg) -- Lawmakers in Slovakia unanimously backed a parliamentary resolution condemning the shooting of Prime Minister Robert Fico, an effort to dial back political recriminations in the country after the May 15 assassination attempt.
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The united vote on Tuesday offered a signal of reconciliation after leaders of Fico’s coalition lashed out at the opposition and media, while the nation’s incoming and outgoing presidents failed to a convene a roundtable that would include all political parties.
The resolution calls on political players and media not to “spread hatred toward the government as well as toward other legitimately elected constitutional officials and public figures, as the outcome can be such hateful criminal acts.”
Fico is conscious and communicative as he recovers from several gunshot wounds in an intensive-care unit in the central Slovak city of Banska Bystrica, his office said Tuesday. The premier, 59, underwent a CT scan and “further action is being taken to improve his health condition,” the statement said.
The first such attempt on a European leader’s life in more than two decades, the attack at close range by a 71-year-old assailant left Fico with life-threatening injuries. The Slovak leader was shot as he approached a crowd of people in the town of Handlova northeast of the capital Bratislava after a government meeting.
Read More: Slovaks Probe Possible Broader Plot Behind Premier’s Shooting
Beyond the resolution, ruling party lawmakers and ministers have continued to point the blame at critical coverage by media, whom they blame for the suspect’s political radicalization. Defense Minister Robert Kalinak, a close ally whom Fico entrusted with leading the government temporarily, repeatedly accused the media of vilifying the premier.
A day after the shooting, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj-Estok said the suspect was responding to critical coverage of Fico’s decision to halt military aid to Ukraine, overhaul public media and abolish a special prosecutor’s office.
“The shooter was interested in politics — he followed news you wrote,” the minister told reporters in Bratislava.
Since taking office in October, Fico has drawn protests nationwide from thousands who accuse him of steering the country away from the European mainstream. For his part, the premier has made a habit of attacking the media — proposing legislation to wrest control over public broadcasting and radio — and criticizing migration and LGBTQ rights.
Opposition leaders have warned the government not to exploit the attack to target criticism and cement control over Slovakia’s institutions. But Tuesday’s resolution was at least a first step toward de-escalation, as President-elect Peter Pellegrini and the outgoing head of state, Zuzana Caputova, work to bring politicians together.
“This sets the stage for the outgoing and newly-elected presidents to once again reach out to the leaders of parliamentary parties to meet at the Presidential Palace,” Branislav Grohling, chairman of opposition party Freedom and Solidarity, told journalists in parliament.
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