Slovak Prime Minister shot in shock assassination attempt

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone emergency surgery after being shot in an assassination attempt overnight (AEST).

The pro-Russian leader was reportedly shot up to five times and remains in hospital following the shock incident.

Curtin University lecturer Dr Alica Kizekova – who is Slovakian – said Prime Minister Fico was a “very divisive figure” in the country.

Click PLAY to hear the latest on what happened + the political climate in Slovakia 

“He’s a very divisive figure and the longest serving prime minister,” she said on 3AW Breakfast.

“Before being re-elected last year, he was connected to a lot of cases undermining democracy.”

Image: Pier Marco Tacca/Getty