Slovakia's prime minister no longer in life-threatening condition after assassination attempt

• Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is expected to survive a multiple-shot assassination attempt following surgery, according to the country's deputy prime minister.
• "Fortunately, as far as I know, the operation went well, and I guess that at the end he will survive," Tomas Taraba told BBC Newshour. "At this moment, the state of the operation should be that he's not in a life-threatening situation."
• The Slovakian premier's condition has stabilized but remains serious, Reuters cited a hospital official as saying on Thursday.

Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is expected to survive a multiple-shot assassination attempt following surgery, according to the country's deputy prime minister.

"Fortunately, as far as I know, the operation went well, and I guess that at the end he will survive," Tomas Taraba told BBC Newshour. "At this moment, the state of the operation should be that he's not in a life-threatening situation."

The Slovakian premier's condition has stabilized but remains serious, Reuters cited a hospital official as saying on Thursday.

No other official update on Fico's condition has been circulated. CNBC has reached out to the Slovakian Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Fico, 59, was gravely wounded on Wednesday after being shot multiple times following a political event in the Slovak town of Handlova. He was transported by helicopter to a nearby hospital in Banska Bystrica for emergency treatment, according to his official Facebook page.

"This was a politically motivated attempt, and it took place shortly after the presidential election," Slovakian Minister of the Interior Matúš Šutaj Eštok said at a press briefing, according to translated video footage carried by