Slovakian lawmakers denounce political violence after Fico shooting

Slovakian lawmakers on Tuesday voted unanimously to support a declaration condemning political violence, six days after an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico.

All 130 members of the National Council of Slovakia present in the chamber approved the statement, which said the attack was "obviously committed for political motives and deserves the strongest condemnation."

Fico was severely wounded in the shooting on Wednesday, which was carried out by a 71-year-old identified as Juraj C. On Monday, the hospital in the city of Banská Bystrica where Fico was recovering said his life was no longer in danger but that he could not yet be moved back to Bratislava.

While government figures praised the unanimous vote on Tuesday, signs of political tensions also started to re-emerge.

A round table planned for Tuesday featuring all parliamentary parties planned by outgoing President Zuzana Čaputová and her successor Peter Pellegrini was cancelled.

Čaputová and Pellegrini, who is due to take office in mid-June after winning the presidential run-off election on April 6, had sought to use the meeting to reduce political tensions between the governing and opposition parties.

Pellegrini said in a video message that "the time is apparently not yet ripe for this," and added that some politicians had "shown that they are not capable of self-reflection even after such a tragedy."

Nonetheless, the unanimous parliamentary vote did offer some hope of progress for Slovakian society, which has become heavily polarized in recent years, he said.

The statement called on all parties, non-governmental organizations and media to refrain from hateful rhetoric, respect election results and recognize the government as legitimate.

Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák, who is currently standing in for Fico as first deputy prime minister, also made a gesture of reconciliation to his political rivals, apologizing for using inappropriate language.