Slovakia’s PM Robert Fico moved to capital to recover from shooting

BRATISLAVA - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was transported to the capital Bratislava on May 30 to continue recovering after being shot multiple times two weeks ago, a spokeswoman said.

Mr Fico was shot multiple times on May 15

while greeting supporters after a cabinet meeting in the central Slovak town of Handlova in what officials said was an assassination attempt.

He immediately underwent five-hour surgery in a hospital in the nearby city of Banska Bystrica, followed by another two-hour surgery two days later.

The alleged gunman,

identified by local media as 71-year-old poet Juraj Cintula,

has been charged with premeditated attempted murder and was remanded in custody.

“Robert Fico was transported from our hospital to Bratislava in the evening hours,” Banska Bystrica hospital spokeswoman Ruzena Mataseje told AFP.

It was not immediately clear to which hospital in the capital he was moved.

Banska Bystrica hospital director Miriam Lapunikova had said earlier on May 30 that Mr Fico wanted to “continue his recovery in home care”.

The hospital said Mr Fico’s progress was “satisfactory”, but his ally, Mr Robert Kalinak, a deputy prime minister, said

his recovery would be “extremely long”.

AFP