Mr. Fico’s party won the legislative elections last year thanks to a pro-Russian and anti-American program. He pledged to end Slovakia’s military support for Ukraine and claimed the United States and NATO “pushed” Moscow toward war.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in critical condition after being injured in a shooting after a political event on Wednesday afternoon, an episode of violence which punctuated his decades-long political career.
Mr. Fico, 59, was born in 1964 in what was then Czechoslovakia. A member of the Communist Party before the dissolution of communism, he obtained a law degree in 1986 and was first elected to the Slovak Parliament in 1992 as a member of the Democratic Left party.
In the 1990s, he served for several years as a representative of the Slovak Republic before the European Court of Human Rights and the European Commission of Human Rights. In 1999, he became president of the Smer (Leadership) party, of which he has been a central figure ever since.
He and the Smer have most often been described as left-wing populistsalthough it was also compared to right-wing politicians such as the nationalist prime minister of neighboring Hungary, Viktor Orbán.
Victory over the pro-Russian and anti-American wave
Mr. Fico returned to power in Slovakia last year, after serving as prime minister twice, from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018. His third term made him the longest-serving head of government in the history of Slovakiamember of the European Union and NATO.
After five years in opposition, Mr. Fico’s party won parliamentary elections last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American platform. He vowed to end Slovakia’s military support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s massive invasion, and claimed NATO and the United States had pushed Moscow toward war.
After his electoral victory, the new government immediately stopped arms deliveries to Ukraine. Thousands of people took to the streets repeatedly across Slovakia to rally against pro-Russian and other policies of Ficoincluding plans to amend the penal code.
Mr. Fico’s return to power aroused concern among his detractors, who feared that he and his party – long marred by scandals – would move Slovakia away from its pro-Western orientation. He pledged a “sovereign” foreign policy, promised a tough stance on immigration and non-governmental organizations, and campaigned against LGBTQ+ rights.
Renowned for his tirades against journalists, he was indicted in 2022 for alleged creation of a criminal group and abuse of power. In 2018, he and his government resigned amid controversy after Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak was murdered along with his fiancée. Kuciak was investigating tax crimes involving high-level Slovak politicians.