We are now closing this blog but you can read our report on the latest on Robert Fico’s condition and what we know about the suspect in the case here.
Summary of the day
Robert Fico, Slovakia’s prime minister, is in a stable condition but “not out of the woods yet”, officials have said.
Slovak police charged a man with attempted murder of Fico.
Matúš Šutaj Eštok, the interior minister, described the suspect in the shooting as a man who had acted alone and who had participated in anti-government protests.
Robert Kaliňák, the deputy prime minister and defence minister, said that Fico was in a stable condition but that it was too early to say the outlook was positive. “He’s still not out of the woods yet,” he said.
Peter Pellegrini, Slovakia’s president-elect, said that he was able to speak with Fico in hospital.
Michal Šimečka, leader of the opposition Progressive Slovakia, said that “the attack on the prime minister is an attack on democracy.”
He also said that “most of all, we now need to end the spiral of attacks and blame. We must all contribute to this in our own way, both as politicians and as citizens.”
Katarina Roth Neveďalová, a member of the European parliament representing Smer, said “I hope that this assassination attempt taught us that all the politicians have to be more responsible in their speeches, activities and protests and can not call for harsh reactions.”
The outgoing and next presidents appeared together in an appeal for Slovaks to overcome their increasingly tense differences for the good of the country.
On the outskirts of the sleepy south-central Slovakian town of Levice, several police guards were stationed at the entrance of the flat where the 71-year-old former security guard and poet Juraj Cintula, suspected of shooting Fico, had lived for forty years.
“I am shocked. He was a polite, helpful and calm guy,” his longtime neighbour and friend Mile L’udovit said.
Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, said he received threats after the assassination attempt in Slovakia.
The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has pointed to the shooting as a reason to “vote for peace” in the European parliament election. “We remain hopeful for his recovery, but now we must fight for peace alone,” he said.
Peter Bárdy, the editor-in-chief of Aktuality, said “Slovakia needs to calm the situation, not its further escalation.”
Beata Balogová, editor-in-chief of SME said that “I would like to think that politicians will act responsibly and calm the emotions, but based on the first public statements of some representatives of the ruling Smer party, I worry that they will continue to polarise the society.”
Eduard Heger, a former prime minister, said that what happens next depends on the choices of politicians – and that more respect is needed.
The former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev praised Fico, writing that there were few politicians like him in Europe and that he had “reasonable” positions regarding Russia.
