The Slovaks they arrive today at ballot boxes to elect their MEPs them, more than three weeks after the assassination attempt against the prime minister Robert Fitzowhich boosted support for his camp.

In Slovakia, the vote comes after the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was seriously injured when he was shot on May 15 while greeting supporters after a cabinet meeting.

In this country of 5.4 million people, a member of NATO and the EU since 2004, the attack on the populist leader has sent his party soaring in the latest polls.

The 59-year-old prime minister, emaciated after his hospitalization and two hours-long surgeries, announced on Wednesday that he is ready to return to his duties this month.

The attack fueled his party’s campaign Smer-SD, with the slogan “For Robert Fitzo, for Slovakia”. Smer-SD, which describes itself as a “party of peace”, is opposed to arms deliveries to Ukraine and criticizes the “increasing attacks of warmongers from Brussels”.

It remains to be seen what the turnout will be for the election of the Slovak MEPs: in the last elections of 2019 it was 22.7%, one of the lowest in the EU.

In a development that further burdened the atmosphere in the country two days before the elections, the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was “beaten” last night by a man in a Copenhagen square, according to its services, an attack described as “heinous” by the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola.

This afternoon it will be the Italians’ turn to start voting for their MEPs.

After them Dutch people on Thursday, which confirmed the rise of the extreme right without, however, bringing it to the first place, them Irish people and the Czechs yesterday, Friday, the Latvians and the Maltese they also vote today in the European elections that are held over a period of 4 days in the 27 EU countries.

In most member states, including France and Germany, citizens vote tomorrow, Sunday. Voters are expected to elect a total of 720 members of the European Parliament, against the backdrop of the expected rise of the nationalist right and a tense climate due to the war in Ukraine.