Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is battling for his life after being shot on Wednesday, is said to be a political heavy-weight known for his staunch anti-Ukraine views.
The 59-year-old head of the state, born in Czechoslovakia, forayed into politics as a member of the Communist Party. He was first elected to Slovakia’s parliament in 1992 as a member of the Party of the Democratic Left. He founded the Smer party in the late 1990s which started on as the political left. However, over the years, Fico and Smer party began slanting towards right-wing views on immigration and cultural issues.
He began the first of his three terms as prime minister in 2006. He served till 2010 and came back to power in 2012 and stayed till 2018 when he was forced to resign in the wake of the murder of an investigative journalist and his fiancee. However, Fico made a stunning comeback last year riding on the people's protest against the centre-right government’s restrictions to counter the pandemic. He is currently the longest-serving head of government in the history of Slovakia, a European Union and NATO member.
Fico's return to power was as a pro-Russian and as an anti-American. He promised to end Slovakia providing Ukraine with military support, arguing that NATO and the United States provoked Moscow into war. His famous pledge was to send "not one more round of ammunition" to Kyiv and did exactly that after his coalition government came to power, triggering concerns among the European Union.
Fico's stance in a country where pro-Russian sentiment had historically been significant has stoked fears among E.U. leaders in Brussels, who fear Slovakia could form a pro-Russian alliance with Hungary's Viktor Orban and, potentially, Italy’s leader, Georgia Meloni. This could stop support for Ukraine and could be a sign of the apparent erosion of the pro-Ukrainian bloc that Europe had formed after the invasion, according to The New York Times.
Fico's policies have always been controversial as he faces graft charges. He also swears to pursue a "sovereign" foreign policy, promised a tough stance against migration and non-governmental organisations, and campaigned against LGBTQ+ rights. He has also initiated reforms of criminal law and the media, which have raised concerns over weakening the rule of claw.
"Fico is a technician of power, by far the best in Slovakia. He does not have a counterpart at the moment," sociologist Michal Vasecka, from the Bratislava Policy Institute, told Reuters. "Fico is always following opinion polls, and understands what is happening" in society.