BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia (AP) 鈥� Slovakia鈥檚 populist prime minister, , remained in serious condition on Sunday but has been given a positive prognosis four days after he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt that has sent shockwaves across the deeply polarized European Union nation, the defense minister said.
鈥淭he worst of what we feared has passed, at least for the moment. But his condition remains serious," Robert Kalinak told reporters outside the hospital where Fico is being treated. 鈥淗is condition is stable with a positive prognosis.鈥�
Kalinak added that the hospital treating the Slovak leader in Bansk谩 Bystrica, a former coal mining town of 16,000 situated 29 kilometers (17 miles) from where Fico was attacked, will continue to issue updates on his health status.
On Sunday afternoon, Kalinak revealed new details about the ongoing investigation saying there may have been a 鈥渢hird party鈥� involved in 鈥渁cting for the benefit of the perpetrator鈥�, in what was previously described by the authorities as a 鈥渓one wolf鈥� attack. The official did not provide additional details.
鈥淭he situation is turning out to be even worse than we expected,鈥� Kalinak said. 鈥漃lus other indications that these facts of Wednesday鈥檚 attack have been discussed in a wider circle. All of this is shocking information, and for many of us, it would be much easier if we could talk about just one person.鈥�
Milan Urb谩ni, deputy director of the hospital, told reporters that "Based on the doctors鈥� morning consultation, we can conclude that the patient is currently out of a life-threatening condition. His condition remains very serious, and he needs a long time to rest to recover. We firmly believe that everything will go in a good direction.鈥�
Fico, 59, was shot in the abdomen as he greeted supporters on Wednesday outside a cultural center in the town of Handlova, nearly 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital, Bratislava. Video showed the Slovak premier approach people gathered at barricades and reach out to shake hands as a man stepped forward, extended his arm and fired five rounds before being tackled and arrested.
On Friday, Fico underwent two hours of surgery to remove dead tissue from his gunshot wounds, but he was not healthy enough to be transferred to the capital, officials said Saturday.
The country鈥檚 Specialized Criminal Court in the town of Pezinok on Saturday ordered the suspected assailant, who is charged with attempted murder, . Prosecutors said they feared he could flee or commit other crimes if freed, a court spokesperson said. The suspect can appeal the order.
Little information about the would-be assassin has been disclosed after prosecutors told police not to publicly identify him or release details about the case. Unconfirmed media reports have named him and said he was a 71-year-old retiree known as an amateur poet who may have once worked as a mall security guard. Government authorities have given details that matched that description. They said the suspect didn鈥檛 belong to any political groups, though the attack itself was politically motivated.
Slovakia鈥檚 interior minister, Matus Sutaj Estok, said Sunday that the attack on Fico is an 鈥渁ttack on democracy in any normal country鈥�. 鈥淎t a time when democracy is being attacked, it must be the security forces that have to give a clear signal that they are prepared to protect the population of the Slovak Republic,鈥� he said.
Fico said last month on Facebook that he believed rising tensions in the country could lead to the killing of politicians, and he blamed the media for fueling tensions in the country of 5.4 million.
Slovakia鈥檚 three-party coalition government has also partly accused the media of fueling the vitriolic discourse that has beleaguered the EU country in recent years and led to deep social divisions.
Andrej Danko, chairman of the government鈥檚 smallest coalition partner, the Slovak National Party, said Sunday he is expecting a government meeting early next week to discuss media laws and journalistic ethics, including how journalists report on domestic politics.
In his address on Sunday, Kalinak also stressed that lessons must be learned from the violent attack on Fico, who has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. 鈥淭his must be a memento. If we don鈥檛 learn, we鈥檙e heading for hell,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e need to bring this situation back to what we can consider standard.鈥�
Fico鈥檚 government has made efforts to 鈥� a move critics said would give the government full control of public television and radio. That, along with his to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor, have led opponents to worry that Fico will lead Slovakia down a more autocratic path.
Before Fico returned to power last year, many of his political and business associates were the focus of police investigations, and dozens have been charged. His plan to overhaul the penal system would eliminate the office of the special prosecutor that deals with organized crime, corruption and extremism.
At the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Bansk谩 Bystrica on Sunday, churchgoer and lawyer Pavel Bachleda called the assassination attempt 鈥渁 great tragedy鈥� but also expressed concerns about how Fico and his Smer, or Direction, party has conducted itself in recent years.
鈥淚 would say partly also his actions, his actions in the previous months and years, have brought about the situation in our country,鈥� he told The Associated Press. 鈥淵ou get the impression that they concentrate more on revenge, political revenge than on real things that our country needs.鈥�
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Stanislav Hodina in Prague, Czech Republic, and Stephen McGrath in Side, Turkey, contributed to this report.
Lefteris Pitarakis, The Associated Press
