BRATISLAVA, May 30 — The recovery of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico from gunshot wounds to his abdomen will be "extremely long”, his deputy said yesterday, a couple of weeks after the assassination attempt.

Fico remains hospitalised since being shot multiple times on May 15 while greeting supporters after a cabinet meeting held exceptionally in the central town of Handlova.

The accused gunman, identified by local media as Juraj Cintula, a 71-year-old poet, has been charged with premeditated attempted murder and was remanded in custody.

Fico underwent two surgeries lasting several hours at the hospital in the central city of Banska Bystrica, which described his condition as "satisfactory” on Wednesday.

"The prime minister’s recovery is finally on the right track,” Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak told reporters.

"This recovery will be extremely long as his injuries are very serious... He is now accepting food,” he added.

Government advisor Erik Kalinak, who was present at the shooting, said mere "millimetres” had kept the gunshot wounds from proving fatal.

The bullets "hit the small intestine in such a way that it was shot through five times, but the doctors performed miracles” Kalinak was quoted as saying by the postoj.sk news site. — AFP