Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico remains in a serious condition after an assassination attempt on May 15. He was shot multiple times at close range after coming out of a meeting at a cultural centre in the town of Handlová. A man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder.
The 59-year-old Fico has been in office since October 2023, but also served two previous terms as prime minister, from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018. He founded the Direction–Social Democracy (Smer–SD) party in 1999, and has led that party since its foundation. His political positions have been described as populist.
Many European countries these days are seriously politically divided, are suffering from populism, the use of fake news and hate speech. Slovakia is very negatively affected by these influences, with its rural population particularly at risk. A recent survey suggested only a minority of the Slovak population agree that Russia is to blame for the war. A large number of Slovaks also believe the COVID pandemic was a scam and that vaccines cause death.
