Editorial: Shocking shooting of Robert Fico is an attack on democracy itself

European leaders were quick to condemn the shooting. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said: “Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine demo­cracy, our most precious common good… my thoughts are with PM Fico and his family.”

With war intensifying on the continent in Ukraine, concerns about stability and the undermining of freely elected governments are understandably acute.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky labelled the attack “appalling” and demanded efforts be made “to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form, or sphere”.

Milan Nic, an analyst at the German Council on Foreign Relations and a former adviser to Slovakia’s foreign ministry, warned: “It is not an isolated incident. This is one of the most polarised countries in Europe… with regular threats against the lives of politicians.”

Mr Fico’s government has pressed Brussels to ease sanctions placed on Russia since Vladimir Putin’s invasion. It also wants the bloc to take tough measures against migration, and the country is further polarised by a cost-of-living crisis. Such factors can easily be manipulated to disrupt and divide.

The British spy novelist Eric Ambler wrote: “The important thing to know about an assassination or an attempted assassination is not who fired the shot, but who paid for the bullet.”

However, Slovakia’s outgoing president, Zuzana Caputova, has appealed to people not to rush to hasty judgments, saying: “An attack on the prime minister is first and foremost an attack on a human being. But it’s also an attack on democracy.”

Just as dictatorships depend on violence and terror, democracy is rooted in order and human rights. Thus any effort to overturn it has to be taken extremely seriously.

As the country’s “horrified” president-elect, and Fico ally, Peter Pellegrini put it: “Different political opinions should be expressed in polling stations and not with gun.”

Taoiseach Simon Harris also expressed shock at the shooting. “The attack on prime minister Fico is an attack on democracy, a fundamental value of the European Union and one we all share,” he said.

Opponents of Mr Fico had concerns Slovakia was on course to abandon the country’s pro-Western course and follow the direction of Hungary under populist prime minister Viktor Orban. There have been several mass rallies to protest against his policies.

However, condemnation of political violence came from all sides. The shooting is likely to cast a pall over the upcoming European elections. It can only escalate tensions as the June polls loom.

We have already seen attacks on German and Spanish leaders, and threats to our own politicians have also sparked security concerns. The priority now must be to make sure the attack is not exploited to fuel further violence across the European political landscape.