Slovakia in turmoil: Political infighting escalates after PM's assassination

President-elect of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, said on Sunday that the parliamentary parties' meeting, planned together with President Zuzana Čaputová for Tuesday, is unlikely to occur. Čaputová assessed that the meeting is necessary, even if it does not happen now.

The purpose of the meeting was to calm the situation in the country following the assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico and to break the spiral of hatred.

In his unique statement, Pellegrini shared that the last few days and press conferences have shown that some politicians are incapable of essential self-reflection, even after such a tragedy. It is as if they do not understand that their actions, statements, and disgusting attacks, not concerning competing political ideas but their supporters, have fundamentally contributed to tensions in society.

An emotional dispute was sparked by Saturday's statement by former Prime Minister Igor Matovič, leader of the Slovakia party. He called on the Minister of Internal Affairs, Matúš Šutaj Eštok, to resign. He linked his resignation to the assassination attempt on the prime minister's life. The Interior Minister deemed Matovič's party extremist and announced that he would not sit at the same table with the former prime minister.

Andrej Danko, leader of the minor government coalition party, the Slovak National Party, again criticized the media on Sunday. He believes regulations of disclosure who finances individual articles are necessary. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák admitted that there is a need for reconciliation and mutual respect, but this cannot be achieved through "false political correctness".

President Zuzana Čaputová expressed her conviction that the possibility of a meeting of parliamentary party representatives is still open. She emphasized that it is natural that preparing for such a meeting requires not only time but also patience.

Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot on Wednesday, May 15, in the town of Handlová, where the Slovak government's off-site meeting was taking place. The shots were fired by 71-year-old Juraj C. His act was assessed as politically motivated.