Who is Robert Fico, Slovakia’s populist prime minister, who was shot at?

Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico, who was shot at and wounded on Wednesday, is a seasoned politician – a controversial one at that. The populist leader made a stunning comeback last October, winning his third term after running a campaign that criticised the West for supporting Ukraine in the war with Russia.

But now his decades-long career has been punctuated by an episode of violence. He is now said to be out of danger after the assassination attempt . The leader underwent surgery, which had “gone well”, Slovak deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba, reports the BBC.

As Fico recovers, we take a look at his rise in Slovakia.

The early life

Fico was born in 1964 in what was then Czechoslovakia and secured a law degree in 1986. He foray into politics started with the Communist Party just before the 1989 Velvet Revolution saw the former Czechoslovakia dissolve, ushering in capitalism and democracy.

He served for several years in the 1990s as a governmental agent representing the Slovak Republic before the European Court of Human Rights and the European Commission of Human Rights. He was first elected to Slovakia’s parliament in 1992 as a member of the Party of the Democratic Left.

During that time, he was overlooked for a ministerial post by the Democratic Left Party (SDL), the Communist Party’s political heir, in 1998. He unceremoniously quit the following year to set up his own, the Smer-Social Democrats (Smer-SD), of which he has been a pivotal figure ever since.

The controversies

The gamble to quit the SDL paid off in 2006 when Smer-SD scored a parliamentary landslide, catapulting Fico into the prime minister’s seat two years after Slovakia joined the European Union. The leftist leader forged a coalition with the far-right Slovak National Party (SNS), which shares his staunch anti-refugee rhetoric and populist leanings.

He shrewdly capitalised on the global financial crisis in 2008 to bolster his popularity by refusing to impose austerity measures. Slovakia’s 2009 eurozone entry crowned Fico’s first four-year stint as prime minister, but elections in 2010 sent him back to the opposition as he failed to form a coalition despite coming out on top.

When the refugee crisis swept Europe in 2015, Fico took a tough stance on migrants, refusing to “give rise to a distinct Muslim community in Slovakia” and slamming the EU’s quota programme to redistribute refugees.

In 2018, he and his government resigned amid controversy after Slovakian investigative journalist Ján Kuciak was murdered along with his fiancée. Kuciak had been reporting on tax-related crimes implicating high-level Slovak politicians.

The veteran leader has over the year earned a reputation for his tirades against journalists and faced criminal charges in 2022 for allegedly creating a criminal group and misuse of power.

A pro-Russia stance

After five years in opposition, Fico’s party won 2023’s parliamentary elections on a pro-Russian and anti-American platform. His third term made him the longest-serving head of government in the history of Slovakia, a European Union and NATO member, reports The Associated Press.

Fico and Smer have most often been described as left-populist. However, he has been accused on emulating Viktor Orbán, the nationalist prime minister of neighbouring Hungary. Like Orbán, he has taken a friendlier stance toward Russia.

As Fico campaigned for a third term, he vowed to bring an end to Slovakia providing Ukraine with military support as it battled Russia’s full-scale invasion. He has argued that NATO and the United States provoked Moscow into war.

After his election victory, the new government immediately halted arms deliveries to Ukraine. Thousands repeatedly took to the streets across Slovakia to rally against Fico’s pro-Russian and other policies.

In a book published last year called Fico: Obsessed with Power, Slovak sociologist Michal Vasecka said Fico “definitely appreciates Putin’s authoritarianism”. “At the same time, his relationship to Russia is historically determined by the socialist motto ‘With the Soviet Union for Eternity.’” he added.

Leading Slovakia away from pro-Western road

Fico’s return to power caused concern among his critics that he and his party — which had long been tainted by scandal — would lead Slovakia away from its pro-Western course. He vowed to pursue a “sovereign” foreign policy, promised a tough stance against migration and non-governmental organisations, and campaigned against LGBTQ+ rights.

He has also targeted the country’s president Zuzana Čaputová, calling her a “US puppet” A liberal, she is former human rights lawyer and activist and has sued the PM for spreading lies about her.

Journalists in the country have been raising their voices over a recent decision that would replace the country’s public broadcaster and open it up to political influence.

In December last year, Fico announced plans to scrap the special prosecutor’s office, an institution that deals with cases of high-level corruption and organised crime, reports The Guardian. This led to speculation that the European Union could freeze some funding to the nation.

Fico is similar to several other nationalist politicians who have risen over the last few years.

Life beyond politics

Fluent in English, the veteran leader is known to enjoy fast cars and football and has a soft spot for expensive watches. He is married to lawyer Svetlana Ficova with whom he has a son, Michal, although Slovak media have reported the couple has separated, reports AFP.

His favourite saying is “patience always brings red roses.”

With inputs from agencies