It had been decades since the term assassination had accompanied the name of any European leader. Until this Wednesday, when Robert Fico, a pro-Russian populist leader who has been back at the head of the Slovak Government for just over half a year, has been the victim of an assassination attempt. The nationalist prime minister had gone out to greet a group of citizens at the doors of the Handlová House of Culture, about 200 kilometers northeast of Bratislava, when he was shot several times.
Wednesday’s shooting is the epitome of an extremely turbulent political landscape in the country that former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright described as Europe’s “black hole.” Fico, 59, knows him well. The politician – who defines himself as a social democrat, but defends openly homophobic, xenophobic and misogynistic positions – was at the head of the Slovak Government in his first term between 2006 and 2010. He returned again in 2012 and governed until 2018, when he was forced to resign. resign. The country had erupted in mass protests following the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his partner, Martina Kusnirova, when the reporter was investigating connections between people close to Smer, Fico’s party, and the Italian mafia, as well as government corruption scandals. .
Everyone in the country considered the career of the veteran politician to be amortized, who in the legislative elections last fall, however, contradicted all the polls and achieved the victory that allowed him to lead a new coalition Executive. Fico won with a more radical speech than ever, populist, pro-Russian, anti-Western and nationalist. Since he took office in October, he has confirmed the fears that his return generated in Brussels, moving the country closer to the path of its southern neighbor, the Hungary of ultra-conservative Viktor Orbán. Both in relation to democratic health and the war in Ukraine, regarding which Fico positions himself more on the side of Moscow than on kyiv.
During the time that Fico was out of political power, the Slovak authorities undertook a deep fight against corruption. Several people close to him and his party were convicted and hundreds are awaiting trial. The prime minister himself was accused in 2022 of supporting organized crime, although the attorney general, close to the leader, closed the case. As soon as he returned to the Government, the politician undertook a series of reforms with the flavor of settling scores that have already earned him a warning from the European institutions for violating the rule of law.
To begin with, the coalition Executive – which includes a split from Smer and an ultra-nationalist party – approved a reform of the Penal Code with express processing to reduce sentences for serious crimes and advance the statute of limitations. In addition, he decreed the closure of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, which investigated the most important cases of corruption.
After that intervention in the judicial field, Fico set out to control the media. The politician, known for constantly attacking the media and calling journalists “anti-Slovak prostitutes” and enemies of the nation, has initiated a reform of public radio and television to, according to its journalists, convert them into organs at the service of the Government. Meanwhile, he systematically vetoes several independent media in government events.
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The protests organized by the Progressive Slovakia party have been permanent since Fico’s return to power. In the recent presidential elections, the government’s opponents toyed with the idea of a pro-Western independent candidate occupying the head of state and serving, like the current president, Zuzana Caputová, as a counterweight. It was in vain. The elections were won on April 7 by Peter Pellegrini, an ally of the prime minister whose victory helped cement his power.
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