Biography of Robert Fico
Robert Fico is the Prime Minister of Slovakia, a politician, and a statesman known for his authoritarian leadership style. He founded and led the party “Direction – Social Democracy” (“Smer”), which he called a “third way party.” He is considered a pro-Russian politician focused on close cooperation with Russia. In 2024, there was an assassination attempt on him, resulting in gunshot wounds, but he survived and returned to political activity.
Childhood, Youth, Family
Robert was born in the fall of 1964 to Ľudovít Fico and Emília Ficová in the village of Topoľčany, western Slovakia. His parents were ordinary people: his mother worked as a saleswoman in a shoe store, and his father operated a forklift.Robert also has a brother, Ladislav, who is in the construction business, and a sister, Lucia, who became a prosecutor. His sister is 14 years younger than Robert.
Until he was six, the family lived in the village of Hrušovany, then moved to Topoľčany.
From an early age, Fico grew up as a leader; his desires always came first, and he achieved them by any means. During his teenage years, Robert became interested in Marxist-Leninist ideas. He dreamed of visiting Moscow to see the Mausoleum and the body of the leader of the world proletariat.
After finishing school, Fico entered the Faculty of Law at Comenius University in Bratislava. He specialized in criminal law and earned a doctorate degree, defending his dissertation on "The Death Penalty in Czechoslovakia" in 1992.
After graduating, he completed his mandatory military service, serving as an assistant to a military investigator. He then worked at the Institute of State and Law of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, taught for some time, and was highly respected by the students.
Fico was 23 years old when he joined the Communist Party, and after the Velvet Revolution, he joined the Party of the Democratic Left, which essentially became the successor to the Communist Party after the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe.
Political Career
1992 was a pivotal year for Fico. He was elected to parliament, worked in the Ministry of Justice for a time, and represented Slovakia at the European Court of Human Rights.In 1999, Robert founded and led the party "Direction – Social Democracy" (Smer), which he referred to in his speeches as a third way party.
In 2006, he became the Prime Minister of the country and ruled Slovakia for four years.
In 2012, early elections took place, where Fico secured a convincing victory, reclaiming the Prime Minister's seat. At that time, he managed to form a single-party government and ran for the presidential elections. The politician reached the second round and received only 40% of the votes against 59% for the independent candidate Andrej Kiska.
After the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak, spontaneous protests against the government began to emerge. The reporter suspected Fico of ties with the Italian mafia and was preparing an exposé. In 2018, the politician resigned, although the court did not find him guilty.
In 2023, Fico returned to the position of Prime Minister after the Smer party's victory in the parliamentary elections and advocated for peace negotiations, refusing to supply military equipment to a neighboring country. Fico supported Russia in Russo-Ukrainian War, considering the Kremlin's actions justified. The Prime Minister believed that Vladimir Putin made the right decision by halting NATO's eastward expansion. He stated he would veto Ukraine's application to join NATO and called the sanctions against Russia useless and senseless.
Robert Fico's Personal Life
In 1988, Robert married Svetlana Svobodova, who also has a legal education. He met her while both were studying law at Comenius University in Bratislava. Svetlana worked for some time at the Ministry of Justice in Bratislava.Soon, the couple had a son, Michal, who later graduated from the same university's Faculty of Economics, where his parents studied. He is now engaged in entrepreneurship.
In 2016, Robert Fico underwent heart surgery and had a double bypass. Doctors strictly forbade him from engaging in active activities, at least initially, but the politician returned to work as soon as he got up from his hospital bed.
Fico was never considered an exemplary family man and was accused of having numerous affairs, including with model Maria Troskova and the secretary of the "Smer" party, Jana Hlasova.
Robert Fico Now
In May 2024, the main news in Slovakia was the assassination attempt on the Prime Minister's life. On May 15, at an offsite meeting of the Slovak government in Handlová, Fico came out to the people, and shots were fired. The politician was wounded in the abdomen and chest.In the hospital, he underwent one operation that lasted more than three hours, followed by another. He was in a coma for some time. The shooter, seventy-year-old writer Juraj Cintula, confessed immediately after being detained that he disapproved of the government's political course.
Besides the assassination attempt, the investigation considered other versions and soon obtained evidence that the shooter did not act alone. The assassination attempt was reclassified as a terrorist act.
Meanwhile, Fico recovered, his health was no longer at risk, and at the end of May, he was discharged from the hospital for home rehabilitation. He still had some issues with his musculoskeletal function, but Robert Fico stated that he forgives his attacker:
After all, it's clear that he was merely an envoy of evil and political hatred, which political failures and a disillusioned opposition have developed in Slovakia to insurmountable proportions. I have no reason to think that this was an attack by a crazy lone wolf.
Interesting Facts
- Many consider Robert Fico not only a competent politician but also an extraordinary personality. For example, he doesn't use a mobile phone at work and exercises daily. The Prime Minister is known as the initiator of building new sports centers in the country, although opponents accuse him of trying to gain popularity this way.
- Once, Fico surprised everyone with his action: he worked a night shift at a plant producing parts for cars and buses:
I was on a similar shift several years ago and can say that I personally experienced what it's like to work at night. Slovakia is among the countries that still have a significant amount of night work
, he said. - The Prime Minister of Slovakia has a phenomenal memory, remembering people and information in great detail. He speaks English, Russian, and Czech fluently. He is the author of several books and numerous publications on state and legal issues. He identifies as a Catholic.
Important Life Events
- 1986: Graduated from the Faculty of Law at Comenius University in Bratislava. Defended his doctoral thesis.
- 1988: Married lawyer Svetlana Svobodova. They have a son, Michael.
- 1992: Elected to the Slovak parliament.
- 1994: Worked as Slovakia's agent at the European Commission on Human Rights.
- 1999: Founded and led the party "Direction – Social Democracy" (Smer).
- 2006: The party won the parliamentary elections, taking first place. Became the country's Prime Minister.
- 2010: Resigned from office.
- 2012: The party won the parliamentary elections, securing a majority of seats. Became the Prime Minister for the second time.
- 2018: Resigned due to the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée.
- 2022: Supported Russia, opposed military support for Ukraine.
- 2023: The "Smer" party won the parliamentary elections, securing 42 seats. Became the Prime Minister for the third time.
- 2024: Survived an assassination attempt, returned to political activity.
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