(Bloomberg) -- Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was being treated in intensive care in a “very serious” but stable condition a day after he was shot in what the government called a politically motivated assassination attempt.
The first such attack on a European leader in more than 20 years has sent shockwaves in one of the continent's most polarized countries and highlighted the inflammatory politics that have become prevalent since the pandemic and turbocharged with Russia's war on Ukraine.
“His condition has been stabilized for now,” Defense Minister Robert Kalinak, one of the premier's closest allies, told reporters on Thursday. “Unfortunately, the condition remains very serious, given the complex nature of the wounds, but we all want to strongly believe that we will manage the situation.”
Fico, 59, was fired on at close range in an attack by a 71-year-old assailant during a public appearance northeast of the capital on Wednesday. Slovakia's Security Council and cabinet members were set to meet in Bratislava at 11 a.m. local time to discuss the fallout.
Fico underwent a five-hour surgery in the city of Banska Bystrica to treat “multiple” gunshot wounds and is being attended by a team of doctors, hospital Director Miriam Lapunikova told reporters.
While Fico is hospitalized, the head of government's power devolves to his four deputies, though one may be tapped to as an interim leader while the prime minister is incapacitated. Fico's three-party coalition has a comfortable majority in parliament.
Slovakia's bonds, which tend to be illiquid, were largely unchanged after the assassination attempt – a testament to the country's euro-area membership shielding it from market volatility.
Slovakia's most dominant political figure since the the country joined the European Union 20 years ago, Fico returned to power last year as a force of opposition to EU institutions in Brussels. But his Russia-friendly stance has put him at odds with partners, threatening to undermine EU unity in helping Ukraine. At home, Fico has wielded his power to restrict media freedoms and overhaul the judiciary.
Political acrimony was unleashed soon after shots rang out, with Fico's allies placing the blame with the opposition and “liberal” media. Andrej Danko, the leader of the Slovak National Party that governs in coalition with Fico, vowed “to start a political war.”
Slovakia's outgoing president, Zuzana Caputova, called for calm after the shooting of a political figure who had branded her an “American agent.”
“Hate speech and rhetoric full of hate — which we witness across society — leads to hateful acts,” Caputova told reporters on Wednesday. “Please, let's stop that.”
It was the first shooting of a European head of state or government since the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in March 2003. The pro-European reformer who took a stand against organized crime in the Balkan nation was killed after being gunned down in central Belgrade.
Since his return to power, the Slovak leader has drawn protests nationwide for rewriting the criminal code and scrapping a special prosecutor's office, tasked with fighting serious crime and corruption. Last month, he lashed out at the country's media for what he called hostility to the government as his cabinet proposed tighter controls over public television and radio.
--With assistance from Peter Laca and Andras Gergely.
(Updates with details on government in sixth paragraph, markets in seventh.)
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