The Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico visited the city where he was shot, Reuters reported. quoted by BTA.
The attack on Fico took place in May in the town of Handlova, and the prime minister was in a serious condition in hospital for some time, but recovered.
Today, Fico used the occasion of the visit to accuse the progressive opposition in Slovakia of stoking political tensions, which he said could lead to more attacks.
In the attack in May, Fico, 59, who is a four-time prime minister of Slovakia, was shot four times in the abdomen. The attacker was captured and said he had intended to injure him but not kill him and that he acted because he disagreed with Fizzo's policies, a court document said. He has been charged with a terrorism-related offense and could face a life sentence.
Today during his visit to Handlova, a town of 17,000 inhabitants, Fico said: “Believe me, I am traumatized, but not because of the assassination attempt. I am traumatized by the opposition and by some media because of what they are doing. Because they create an atmosphere that can lead to this history repeating itself,”, Fizzo said. He called his attacker an opposition activist.
Since Fico's government came to power, it has tried to introduce changes in state institutions, drawing criticism from the opposition and sparking public protests. Along with this came warnings from the European Union regarding the state of the rule of law and media freedom in Slovakia.
Fico's government suspended state military aid to Ukraine shortly after coming to power. It also disbanded the special prosecutor's office and made structural changes to the state media corporation. Significant changes are now being made in the sphere of culture, during which there are also dismissals of staff from museums and theaters.
Fico has long been critical of Slovakia's mainstream media and its way of working and prefers to spread his messages through social media, posting his own videos there. He also criticizes progressive ideologies.
Last month, Fico's government said that the EC's criticism of the rule of law in Slovakia was misleading and based on some assessments in anti-government media.