Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is alive – and kicking.
About twenty days ago, a deranged leftist and pro-Ukrainian man shot him as he approached citizens gathered at barricades and reached out to shake hands with them.
The man, ‘poet’ Juraj Cintula, stepped forward, extended his arm and fired five rounds – four shots hit the PM – before being tackled and arrested.
At first, authorities said his shooter acted alone, but later said they were searching for a ‘third party’.
In a critical state, Fico underwent a five-hour surgery, followed by another two-hour surgery two days later.
But now, the recovering populist leader said without any ambiguity that he believes to have been targeted for having a Ukraine position contrary to the European mainstream.
The video recording Fico posted online was his first appearance since the assassination attempt.
It comes a mere days ahead of Slovakia’s Saturday voting in the European Parliament elections.
Associated Press reported:
“Seemingly in good shape as he spoke, Fico pledged to be back at work in about a month and said he felt “no hatred” towards his attacker and planned no legal action against him. ‘I forgive him’, he said during the 14-minute speech,
Still, he slammed the opposition and others, saying: ‘After all, it’s evident that he only was a messenger of evil and political hatred’.”
Fico says that his very differing views on Russia’s war on Ukraine made him a target.
Fico stopped military aid for Ukraine, opposes EU sanctions on Russia, and wants to block Ukraine from joining NATO.
“’It’s cruel to state this, but the right to have a different opinion has ceased to exist in the European Union’, he said, blaming unspecified Western countries for the alleged situation.”
Fico was released from hospital last week, and taken to his home in Bratislava, where he is recuperating.
“The country’s Specialized Criminal Court in the town of Pezinok ordered the suspect, who is charged with attempted murder, to remain behind bars. […] Government officials originally said they believed it was a politically motivated attack committed by a ‘lone wolf’, but later announced that a ‘third party’ might have been involved in ‘acting for the benefit of the perpetrator’.
Fico said Wednesday he ‘had no reason to believe’ that it was an attack by a lone deranged person.”
Fico’s leftist-populist Smer (Direction) party is in a close race to win the European Parliament election, against opposition Progressive Slovakia, a pro-Western liberal party.
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