Tag: Slovakia

The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, had another surgery after being shot on Wednesday. He is still in serious condition, according to the country’s deputy prime minister and defense minister.

Fico, who is 59 years old, was attacked while he was saying hello to his supporters after a meeting with the government in the town of Handlova, which used to be a coal mining town. A person who is believed to have attacked someone has been taken into custody by the police.

Miriam Lapunikova, who is in charge of the hospital where Fico is being treated, said that Fico had a special X-ray and is now awake and in stable condition in the ICU. She said he was in really bad shape.

She said the surgery took out dead tissues that were still in Fico’s body.

“I believe we will need a few more days to know for sure which way things are going,” said Robert Kaliniak, the defence minister and deputy prime minister, to the reporters at the hospital.

Still, Kaliniak said that the government is still working.

“The government departments are doing all their jobs, nothing is stopped or paused, the country keeps moving forward,” he told the news. “The condition of the state and the patient is okay and not changing. ”

Fico has been a controversial figure in Slovakia and other places for a long time. Last year, when he came back into power, he supported Russia and opposed America. This made European Union and NATO members worried that he would stop following the pro-Western path for his country, especially concerning Ukraine.

Earlier on Friday, the man who tried to kill Fico was taken home by the police. The local news said it was part of a search for proof.

Markiza, a TV station from Slovakia, aired a video of the suspect being taken to his home in Levice on Friday morning. They also said that the police took a computer and some papers. The police did not say anything.

The police have been told not to share the suspect’s name or any other information about the case with the public. The person who is suspected of a crime will have their case looked at again in court on Saturday at the Specialized Criminal Court in Pezinok, Slovakia, which is near the capital city of Bratislava.

Unconfirmed news says he was a 71-year-old retired person who liked to write poems and might have worked as a security guard at a mall in the southwest of the country.

Government officials on Thursday provided information that was consistent with that description. They said the suspect wasn’t part of any political groups, but the attack was driven by political reasons.

Slovakia’s president wants to have a meeting with all the leaders of the political parties next Tuesday. President Zuzana Caputova, who is leaving her job soon, and the next president, Peter Pellegrini, made a plan to lessen problems between people in the country.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Slovakia supported Ukraine strongly. But when Fico became prime minister again for the fourth time, he stopped sending weapons to Ukraine.

Fico’s government has tried to change public broadcasting. Critics say this would let the government have complete control of public TV and radio. This, along with his plans to change the law to get rid of a special prosecutor who investigates corruption, has made some people concerned that Fico will make Slovakia more like a dictatorship.

Many people have gathered in the capital and across the country of 5. 4 million people to protest against his decisions.

Last month, Fico said on Facebook that he thought the increasing tensions in the country could cause politicians to be killed, and he said the media was making the tensions worse.

Before Fico came back into power last year, many of his friends in politics and business were being looked into by the police, and many of them have been accused of crimes.

He wants to change the penal system by getting rid of the special prosecutor who deals with organized crime, corruption and extremism.

On Thursday, the interior minister of Slovakia said that one person acted alone and has been charged for shooting and seriously injuring Prime Minister Robert Fico.

The small country in central Europe was shocked by the attempted murder, and its leaders are saying it was because the people are very divided and have extreme politics.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said at a press conference that the man who was charged is not a member of any political groups.

Slovak leaders want everyone to stay calm after the Prime Minister was shot several times on Wednesday. It was a surprise because political violence rarely happens in the country, even though the politicians are very divided.

Fico is in serious but stable condition after being attacked. The attack shocked the small country and had an impact across Europe before the European elections.

They caught a suspect, and the Interior Minister said they think the attack on Fico was because of politics. Fico was at a government meeting in an old coal mining town when it happened.

The minister did not say why they did it. Many people in Slovakia and other countries disagree about Fico. When he came back into power last year with a message that supported Russia and went against America, it made other European Union members worried that he would stop supporting the West.

Someone tried to kill Fico on Wednesday. People in Slovakia are very divided right now and thousands of protestors are demonstrating in the capital and around the country to show they are against his policies. It comes before the June elections for the European Parliament.

Former President Zuzana Caputova, who had disagreements with Fico, said on Thursday that the leaders of the country’s political parties would get together to try to bring peace and stop any violence.

“We ask everyone to be responsible,” Caputova said at a press conference in Bratislava.

Caputova was talking with Peter Pellegrini, who is a friend of Fico and will be the next president of Slovakia. They both spoke together to try to calm down the angry political arguments in the country. They want people in Slovakia to stay united and not let politics divide them.

“This attempt to kill someone should be strongly condemned by everyone,” said Pellegrini. “I ask everyone in Slovakia to stop or lessen their European Parliament election campaigning, because campaigning leads to conflict, and we don’t need conflict right now in Slovakia. ”

Fico’s new government, chosen last September, has stopped sending weapons to Ukraine. They also want to change the rules so that a special prosecutor who deals with corruption cases is no longer in charge, and they want to control the public TV and radio stations. People who disagree with him are concerned that he might take Slovakia, a country with 5. 4 million people that is in NATO, in a more controlling and dictatorial direction.

Zuzana Eliasova, who lives in Bratislava, said that the attack on Fico was a big surprise for the country. She also said it was an attack on democracy when political issues were already causing a lot of tension.

“I think many people and the whole society will think about their actions, because there has been a lot of division within society. “

Surgeons operated on Fico for five hours. At first, Fico was said to be in very bad condition. This is what the director of the F. DMiriam Lapunikova works at the Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica. He is getting special help in a special room.

Five gunshots were heard outside a cultural center in Handlova, a town about 85 miles northeast of the capital. Government officials confirmed this.

Slovakia’s leaders were going to meet in Bratislava to talk about the situation on Thursday. After that, they would have a government meeting.

Fico became the prime minister of Slovakia again last year, after already serving two times before. People often say he and his Smer party are left-leaning populists, but some people also compare him to right-wing politicians like Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary.

Fico’s return made some people worried that he and his party, which had a history of being involved in scandals, would take Slovakia in a direction different from the rest of Western countries. He said he would be strict on migration and non-governmental organizations and protested against LGBTQ2S+ rights.

Even though some people were unsure about Fico’s leadership, both his friends and enemies criticized the attack. On Wednesday, President Putin sent a message to President Caputova, saying he supports her and hopes the prime minister gets better soon.

“This terrible crime cannot be excused,” Putin said in a statement from the Kremlin. “I think Robert Fico is brave and determined. ” I really hope that his good traits will help him get through this tough situation.

The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, also criticized the attack on the leader of a nearby country.

“He said we should do everything we can to stop violence from becoming normal in any country or situation. “

Slovak politicians are asking everyone to stay calm after Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot many times by someone who tried to kill him. This is very unusual and surprising because there is a lot of disagreement and fighting in Slovak politics.

Fico is in the hospital in stable condition after someone tried to hurt him. The whole country is shocked by what happened.

A person was caught by the police, and the Minister of the Interior, Matus Sutaj Estok, said on Wednesday that a first look into the case found that the attack on Fico had a strong political reason. This attack happened while he was at a government meeting in a town that used to have coal mines.

The minister did not say why they did it. Fico has been a controversial figure for a long time in Slovakia and other countries. When he came back into power last year with a message that supported Russia and opposed America, it made other European Union members even more concerned that he might change Slovakia’s support for Western countries.

The attack on Fico happened during a time when Slovakia was very divided. Many people have been protesting in the capital and across the country against Fico’s decisions. It comes right before the elections for the European Parliament in June.

Zuzana Caputova, who is the current President and does not get along with Fico, announced that the leaders of all the political parties in the country will meet to try to bring peace and stop violence.

“We want to urge everyone to be responsible,” Caputova said at a press conference in the city of Bratislava.

Caputova was talking with Peter Pellegrini, who supports Fico and will be the new president of Slovakia. They both asked people to try to calm down the angry feelings about politics in the country and to not let politics divide them.

“This assassination attempt should be strongly condemned by everyone,” Pellegrini said. “I ask everyone in Slovakia to stop or cut back on their campaigning for the European Parliament election. Campaigning can cause conflict, and Slovakia doesn’t need more conflict right now. ”

The government elected last September in Fico’s country has stopped sending weapons to Ukraine. They also want to change the rules to get rid of a special prosecutor who fights corruption and to control public media. His opponents are concerned that he will take Slovakia, a country of 5. 4 million people in NATO, in a direction with more control by a single leader.

Zuzana Eliasova, who lives in the capital city Bratislava, said the attack on Fico was a big surprise to the country and feels like an attack on democracy when there’s already a lot of political tension.

“I think many people or the entire society will think about their actions, because there has been a big divide among different groups in society,” she said.

Fico had a five-hour operation by doctors at the FD Roosevelt Hospital. At first, he was said to be in critical condition. This information was shared by Miriam Lapunikova, the hospital’s director. He is getting special care in a hospital.

Five bullets were shot outside a cultural center in Handlova, a town about 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital, according to government officials.

Slovakia’s security leaders were going to have a meeting in the capital city of Bratislava on Thursday to talk about the situation. After that, the government leaders would also have a meeting.

Fico became the prime minister of Slovakia again last year, after serving as prime minister twice before. People often say he and his Smer party are left-leaning populists, but some also think he is similar to politicians on the right like Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary.

Fico’s return made his critics worried that he and his party, which had a bad reputation because of scandal, would take Slovakia in a direction different from the Western countries. He said he would be strict about immigration and non-profit groups, and he also worked against LGBTQ2S+ rights.

Even though some people didn’t like Fico’s leadership, both his friends and enemies criticized the attack. On Wednesday, President Putin sent a message to President Caputova. He said he supports her and hopes the prime minister gets well soon.

“This terrible crime cannot be excused,” Putin said in a statement from the Kremlin. “I think Robert Fico is brave and determined. ” I really hope that his character traits will help him get through this tough situation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke out against the violence targeting another country’s leader.

“He said that we should try really hard to make sure that violence doesn’t become a regular thing in any country or area. “