Slovak President says attack on Fico is an "attack on democracy"
Slovak President Zuzana Caputova, a political rival of Robert Fico, said on Tuesday that the assassination attempt on the prime minister was "an attack on democracy".
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Mundo Eslováquia
"A physical attack on Prime Minister [Robert Fico] is first and foremost an attack on a person, but it is also an attack on democracy. Any violence is unacceptable. The hate speech that we are witnessing in society leads to hateful acts. Please, let's end this," she said in a televised statement.
Caputova added that the shooter had been detained, but gave no further details.
The Slovak prime minister was wounded in a shooting in Handlova, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) from the capital, and was taken to hospital.
The TA3 television station reported that a suspect had been arrested, while deputy parliamentary speaker Lubos Blaha confirmed the attack to the Slovak TASR news agency.
Blaha was speaking at a session of parliament, which was suspended.
The shooting took place outside the local House of Culture, where the 59-year-old prime minister was due to attend a government meeting. Police cordoned off the area.
Since coming to power in 2023, Robert Fico has ended Bratislava's military aid to Ukraine and called for peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow, drawing criticism from Ukrainian officials and their European allies.
More recently, in early April and in a shift in tone over the Ukraine conflict, he advocated a peaceful solution that respects the country's "territorial integrity".
Read Also: "Strong condemnation". Scholz and Meloni condemn attack on Fico (Portuguese version)
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