The Slovak Parliament condemned political violence

Members of the Slovak Parliament on May 21 unanimously supported the declaration, which condemns politically motivated violence. The vote took place six days after an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico.

All 130 members of the National Council of Slovakia who were present in the meeting room supported the adoption of the document. It states that the attack on Prime Minister Fico “was obviously carried out for political reasons and deserves the strictest condemnation,” dpa reports.

Robert Fico was seriously wounded on May 15 in the town of Gandlova. In total, the attacker fired five shots at close range. Three bullets hit the politician. 71-year-old writer and political activist Juraj Tsintula was arrested in connection with the assassination attempt. He explained his motives by disagreement with government policy. The Slovak Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that the writer, among other things, did not agree with the suspension of military assistance to Ukraine. He faces 25 years to life in prison.

On May 20, doctors at the hospital in Banska Bystrica, where Robert Fico was hospitalized and where he is currently undergoing treatment, reported that his life was no longer in danger. For now, however, the politician will not be transported to the capital Bratislava for some time.

• Last fall, Robert Fico headed the government of Slovakia for the third time. His populist Kurs – Slovak Social Democracy party has a Eurosceptic and nationalist orientation and before the elections advocated limiting military aid to Ukraine and sharply tightening immigration controls.

• After Fico came to power, he repeatedly stated that he was in favor of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia without preconditions. At the same time, Slovakia did not block decisions on assistance to Ukraine or sanctions at the EU level. Fico’s closest ally among the leaders of the European Union is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.