The rise of Robert Fico, Slovakia’s PM who was shot in an assassination bid

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot five times while greeting a group of people after a government meeting in the town of Handlova, about 150 kilometres northeast of the capital, Bratislava.

Following the shocking attack yesterday, Fico is reportedly in "very serious" but stable condition, as confirmed by a hospital official.

The 59-year-old premier, who has served as prime minister twice before, made an unexpected comeback after taking the lead in the country’s snap parliamentary election in September last year and has long been known for his controversial stance on a range of issues, including his pledge to halt military support for Ukraine during his election campaign.

Return to power

Fico, a former communist turned Social Democrat, was prime minister of Slovakia from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018. His third term after his win in 2023 means he is the longest-serving head of government in the history of Slovakia, a European Union and NATO member.

Final tallies by Slovakia’s Statistical Office last October showed Fico’s populist and leftist SMER, or Direction Party, had won almost 23 percent of the vote, while liberal and pro-Ukrianian party Progressive Slovakia, came in second with 18 percent.

In 2018, Fico faced his most significant downfall following widespread demonstrations that led to his resignation after the killing of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, who were both 27 years old.

Kuciak was working on a story linking high-level political corruption, which included Fico’s associates, in Slovakia with the Italian mafia known as the ’Ndrangheta clan when the journalist and his soon-to-be-wife, Kusnirova, were murdered in their home on February 21. Kuciak's last story, ‘Italian Mafia In Slovakia. Tentacles reaching out to politics’ was published posthumously.

No more aid for Ukraine

Slovakia borders Ukraine and has been one of its strongest allies since the start of Russia’s invasion. It has sent helicopters, air defence, and artillery systems to Kiev – however, Fico, who is seen as sympathetic to Moscow, has stated that sending weapons would only prolong the war and said he would "not send a single round" to Ukraine.

"They will have to sit down anyway and find an agreement," Fico said of the combatants, according to Reuters. "Russia will never leave Crimea, never leave the territories that it controls."

He had also said he would block Ukraine’s NATO membership, justifying it by saying it would mean "nothing other than a basis for World War III."

Just last year, during the 2023 Vilnius Summit in July, NATO restated their dedication to admitting Ukraine as a member and agreed to make it easier for Kiev to join the alliance by removing the need for a Membership Action Plan, as well as establishing the NATO-Ukraine Council to enhance bilateral relations.

However, Fico said he would veto Ukraine’s NATO bid. Should Ukraine join NATO, Fico added, “some conflicts will be constantly instigated there,” and “once a clash happens between Russia and a NATO member state, we will have a world war."

He also noted that he would not allow the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin under an international warrant if he ever came to Slovakia. In a book published last year called "Fico: Obsessed with Power", Slovak sociologist Michal Vasecka said Fico "definitely appreciates Putin's authoritarianism.”

Season politician

Fico, who is married with one child, was born in 1964 in the former socialist Czechoslovakia, and was a member of the Communist Party prior to the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc.

After obtaining a law degree, he was elected to parliament in 1992, just before the Czech-Slovak split, as a member of the Party of the Democratic Left, a party he joined following the 1989 Velvet Revolution.

Throughout the 1990s, he represented Slovakia before the European Court of Human Rights and the European Commission of Human Rights. After establishing SMER in 1999, Fico assumed the role of chairman of the party, where he continues to play a crucial role.

At the time, he argued that Slovakia needed a new political party, emphasising the importance of a fresh perspective and a different approach.

In a speech delivered just before SMER was officially launched, he said there was a need for a "new political generation (not necessarily just young), one that sees politics as a service and a duty, rather than a tool for pursuing party interests.”