Slovakia’s deputy leader said the prime minister was steadily approaching a “positive prognosis” after undergoing further surgery.
Robert Fico, 59, was shot and seriously wounded Wednesday in the small town of Handlova.
His condition is serious but stable. Officials said he was unlikely to be returned to Bratislava in the coming days.
Meanwhile, a man accused of attempted murder appeared in court.
The court ruled that he would be detained until trial, according to a court spokesman.
The official name of the alleged attacker has not yet been released, but reports in Slovakia generally identify him as a 71-year-old man from the town of Levice.
Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak said on Saturday that various medical procedures Mr Fico had undergone were “starting to bear fruit” and that there was no need to formally take over his official duties.
He said that thanks to the efforts of medical staff, “several miracles” occurred at the hospital where the prime minister was treated.
He added: “We are steadily approaching this positive forecast, and I cannot express my gratitude enough for that.”
Still, Kalinak said the prime minister’s condition remained “very serious.”
“Of course it does not allow us to make such a transfer in the near future – at the end of the weekend.”
Fico was shot four times at close range in the abdomen and arm as he greeted supporters, and his injuries are said to be extensive and complex.
It is understood he underwent multiple surgeries, including the most recent one to remove dead tissue.
Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said on Thursday that the suspect in the Fico shooting acted alone and had previously participated in anti-government protests.
The attack has left Slovakia tense and polarized. Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak called on the country to embark on a path of tolerance and accused the opposition and media of fomenting hatred.
Mr. Fico returned to power in Slovakia after last September’s elections, leading a populist-nationalist coalition.
The country’s political climate has since become particularly hostile – although the divisions date back to at least 2018, when a journalist investigating allegations of high-level corruption was murdered.
Mr Fico was later forced to step down amid huge protests.
His re-election was a significant return to a platform that included a pledge to end military aid to Kiev and veto Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, among other rhetoric more reminiscent of Moscow than Brussels.
