Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s condition is improving following an assassination attempt earlier this month, according to statements from both the government and the hospital on Monday. On May 15, an attacker shot Fico four times at close range while he was greeting supporters during a government meeting in the central Slovak town of Handlova.
Fico, 59, was hit in the abdomen and was taken to a hospital in the regional capital of Banska Bystrica in serious condition. He underwent a more than a five-hour surgical operation immediately and another two days later.
He has been improving since, the F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital has said in daily updates, and examinations confirmed that on Monday.
“Based on the examination results, today’s medical board meeting confirmed the gradual improvement of the Prime Minister’s health condition,” the government said without further details.
The attack, the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader for more than 20 years, underscored deep political divisions in Slovak society.
Police detained the attacker on the spot. Prosecutors later charged the man, identified as Juraj C., with premeditated murder, and a court ordered he be held in custody.
The 71-year old man told the court he had wanted to hurt, and not kill, the Slovak prime minister because he disagreed with government policies, and had used a gun he had owned for more than 30 years, a court document showed.
With Inputs From Reuters
