Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's condition after an assassination attempt earlier this month is improving, the government and hospital said on Monday, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
The attacker hit Fico with four bullets at close range as the Slovak prime minister was greeting his supporters after a government meeting in the central Slovak city of Handlova on May 15.
Fico, 59, was shot in the stomach and taken to a hospital in Banska Bystrica in serious condition. He immediately underwent more than five hours of surgery, and another two days later.
Since then, his condition has been improving, and examinations confirmed this on Monday, Roosevelt University Hospital reported in a daily summary.
"According to the results of the examination, today's meeting of the medical commission confirmed a gradual improvement in the Prime Minister's health," the government said without further details.
Addendum
The attack, the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader in more than 20 years, highlighted deep political divisions in Slovak society, the newspaper said.
Police detained the attacker on the spot. Later, the prosecutor's office filed charges against the attacker, and the court ordered him to be held in custody.
The 71-year-old man told the court that he wanted to injure, not kill, the Slovak prime minister because he disagreed with the government's policies and used a weapon he had owned for more than 30 years, according to a court document.