Shaken by assassination attempt on Slovak PM Robert Fico, EU wonders if June elections can be free of violence
- Slovak PM Robert Fico is recovering after the first assassination attempt on a European leader in more than 20 years
- Wednesday’s shooting was the latest in a string of attacks on politicians ahead of next month’s European Parliament elections
In an increasingly vitriolic political climate, the last thing needed in the runup to the June European Union elections was an assassination attempt on one of the bloc’s most controversial figures.
Across the 27-nation EU, the political landscape is becoming increasingly polarised, with no holds barred between mainstream parties on the one hand and the bellicose populists and extremists on the other.
“It is shocking to see that someone can become the victim of his political ideas. Three weeks ahead of the elections, that is extremely alarming,” said Prime Minister Alexander De Croo of Belgium, which holds the EU presidency.
“Let’s make it an intense campaign when it comes to words, but not beyond that,” De Croo told the regional broadcaster VRT. Underscoring the seriousness of the issue, De Croo filed a police complaint Thursday against a broadcaster at a local event who called, apparently in jest, for the prime minister “to be shot”.
