The Slovakian prime minister is no longer in a life-threatening condition and 'will survive' after he was shot five times in a 'politically motivated' assassination attempt, his deputy has said.
Robert Fico, 59, was targeted by a gunman as he greeted supporters in Handlova, north-east of the capital Bratislava, following a Slovak government meeting yesterday.
The shooter, 71-year-old Juraj Cintula from Levice, could be seen waiting at a barrier for the PM to approach before drawing his weapon in footage published by Slovak outlet RTV Prievidza.
So, who is Robert Fico's wife, Svetlana Ficova? How long have the couple been married and do they have any children together?
Read on below for everything you need to know about Svetlana Ficova.
The pair met while they were studying together at the University of Bratislava, the couple went on to marry one another in 1988
Slovakia's Prime Minister and presidential candidate Robert Fico (left), his son Michal (centre) and his wife Svetlana cast their votes at a polling station during the presidential election runoff in the village of Velke Dvorany, north of Bratislava March 29, 2014
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico and his wife Svetlana arrive at the Philharmonic where they will attend an orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle on 24 March 2007
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and his wife Svetlana arrive at the Philharmonie in Berlin on March 24, 2007
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2R) and her husband Joachim Sauer (R) pose with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and his wife Svetlana at the Historical Museum in Berlin on March 25, 2007
Robert Fico's wife, Svelana Ficova, was born on September 6 1964 in Žilina, Slovakia.
A lawyer by trade, she undertook her education in the discipline at the Comenius University's Faculty of Law, which is located in the Slovakian capital, Bratislava.
Beginning her studies in 1982, she successfully graduated from the university with a Doctor of Laws degree in 1986.
Since then, she has written and contributed to eight different university textbooks, splitting her time between being a lawyer and a university professor.
Teaching at the Department of Civil Law of the same faculty from which she graduated 38 years ago, Svetlana also has her own legal office in Bratislava.
Since 2012, she has been a member of the commission at the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic.
After the pair met while they were studying together at the University of Bratislava, the couple went on to marry one another in 1988.
This means that their marriage has entered its 36th year in 2024.
The couple share one son together, Michal, who was born 1994 - who studied at the University of Economics in Bratislava from 2014 to 2018.
He is also reportedly married to his wife Natasa.
