Bratislava, May 16 (TASR) - President Zuzana Caputova and president-elect Peter Pellegrini are set to invite the leaders of the parliamentary parties to the Presidential Palace in a move aimed at renouncing violence and calming the situation.

The president and her future successor at the same time called on political parties to suspend or significantly tone down their campaigns in the run-up to the upcoming European Parliament elections.

"What happened yesterday was an individual act, but the tense atmosphere of hatred was our collective work," said Caputova in regards to Wednesday's assassination attempt on Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD), calling for people to step out of a vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations.

Caputova and Pellegrini said that they are aware that the most important thing for society now is to calm the situation down. According to Caputova, the attack on Fico was not only a human tragedy, but also an attack on the democratic establishment. "Let us therefore now think together, above all, of his speedy recovery," she added.

As for the call to tone down election campaigns, Pellegrini explained that that campaigning naturally entails confrontation and recriminations between politicians. "Further confrontation is the very last thing Slovakia needs today," he remarked.