He's not completely out of the woods yet, but he'll make it . Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico remains in intensive care in conditions considered to be still serious, after the gunshot attack of which he was the victim , but he is stable and able to speak . And from the first investigations it emerged that the attacker Juraj Cintula is "a lone wolf" who acted "out of revenge". The 71-year-old - a "non-violent" but armed activist - was formally accused of attempted premeditated murder and, according to local media, he said he was very "proud" of his gesture. He now faces 25 years in prison.

The president-elect of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, visited Fico in the Roosevelt hospital in Banska Bystrica, the city 200 km from Bratislava where the prime minister was attending a political engagement when Cintula fired 5 gunshots at him. And it was Pellegrini himself who made it known that the prime minister, having emerged from the medically induced coma, was able to speak . "He only spoke with me for a couple of minutes", but now " he needs rest ", said the president, underlining that Fico now has "the most important hours and days" ahead of him.

The director of the hospital, Miriam Lapuníková, announced that the prime minister's condition is stable, but still serious after the first surgical operation, which lasted 5 hours. The prime minister will have to undergo a second hip surgery. And on Monday the medical council will also evaluate the possibility of transporting Fico to Bratislava .

In the meantime , the country is in shock, between political tensions and misinformation on social media aimed at exacerbating feelings, especially in view of the European elections . "We have crossed a red line" of political hatred, Pellegrini said, inviting the parties to "suspend" the campaign for the vote on 8 June. “Slovakia does not need further clashes and mutual accusations at this time,” he added.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also spoke on the case in the last few hours, specifying that "the fact that the level of violence in Europe is increasing does not surprise anyone" . "Europe's position has now radically changed", he added in a radio interview, recalling the terrorist attacks in Europe and the Russian war in Ukraine which, in his opinion, led the EU to be a "party of war".

According to Orban, behind the attack on Fico, there was therefore "a left-wing, progressive, pro-war criminal".

(Unioneonline/vl)

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