Civic initiatives invite citizens to report to them if they notice abuses during the pre-election campaign for local elections in Kosjerić and Zaječar.
The goal is to document abuses together, alert the public and protect the electoral process.
No one is obliged to remain silent, and no one is alone if they choose to speak. That’s why we invite you to report any irregularities you notice during the campaign and elections. If you notice: use of public funds in a political campaign, pressure on employees, “offers” for votes, blackmail and intimidation – know that this is not a campaign, but abuse.
We advise all citizens not to turn their heads in the face of irregularities. Only together can we ensure fair and free elections.
Report abuses through the mechanism of ŠTIT Civic Initiatives at the address: stit@gradjanske.org
Civic initiatives demand that the President of the National Assembly, Ana Brnabić, urgently announce which candidates for REM Council members she considers “theirs” and which “ours”, as she herself said in a public speech on May 27, 2025.
With the statement: “Once again, you clearly said that for you, the quasi-elite, one rule applies, and for us, the plebs, the citizens, another. Your candidates can be co-owners and owners of whatever they want, and that’s all fine and commendable,”the President of the Assembly acknowledged the existence of a political division of candidates in the process of electing members of an independent regulatory body, even though the law does not allow such a division.
REM elects neither the “elite”, nor the “plebs”, nor the “citizens”, as she stated, but authorized proposers from the civil sector, universities, journalist associations and other independent bodies. The Assembly is obliged to apply the Law on Electronic Media and subject all proposers and candidates to the same check, and not to the political preferences of the parties in power. REM members must not be the result of political agreements, as this directly violates the law and destroys the credibility of that body. The President of the Assembly must not use rhetoric that justifies the political allocation of seats in this body. This undermines the legitimacy of the process, admits political bias in the selection and confirms that REM is perceived as an extended arm of politics.
The President of the National Assembly gave these assessments at the conference she held in her capacity as President regarding the statements of a member of the Committee for Culture and Information about illegal candidates and proposers in the election process for REM Council members. We remind the President of the National Assembly that it is the legal obligation of the members of the Board to determine, decide and inform the public about the fulfillment of the legal requirements of both the proposers and candidates for membership in the REM Council, and that no one, especially the President of the National Assembly, may question this legal obligation.
We demand that the President of the National Assembly publicly announce which candidates she considers to be “our” and “theirs” and on what basis, to publish all received candidacies and proposers before the Committee session, as well as to stop presenting inaccurate information about proposers and candidates. Citizens have the right to know all information about the election of this independent body. REM must be an independent, professional and credible body, and not a training ground for political confrontations between the authorities and dissenters.
Yesterday, Bujanovac was the center of promoting female entrepreneurship and presenting tradition in the most beautiful way. A group of women who work in traditional cuisine around Bujanovac presented their specialties to fellow citizens and were an example of networking and empowering women at the bar. They were also helped by guests from organizations that have been dealing with the empowerment of women for many years – the Kolubara District Women’s Association and Befem.
Yesterday, Reyhane Mustafa, Flora Nazifi, Esra Sacipi, Luljeta Aliji, Linda Hajredini, Nermine Ismaili, Alma Arifi, Vildane Tefiku, Minavera Đimšiti and Šćipe Arifi prepared a real feast for their fellow citizens, who could taste various specialties – from samsa, pies with greens, cheese, flio, to sarmi, beans, goulash, and up to many types of baklava, kadaif and shakerpare.
The key part of the event was certainly the conversation with the representatives of women’s associations from Belgrade and Lazarevac, where the women from Bujanov could hear all the ways they can join together to solve their everyday problems and develop their businesses.
In addition to a large number of citizens of Bujanovac, the event was also attended by representatives of the local self-government, the Office for Youth, schools and local organizations.
The initiative to organize such a meeting was initiated by local activist Alejna Nuhiu, who, through the internship program organized by the Civic Initiatives, interned for months at the Belgrade organization Befem, so she came up with the idea of developing a network of women who will be empowered in this way, both in terms of developing their jobs and in all spheres of life.
Civic initiatives warn against the direct interference of the executive power in the selection process of the new Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM). Several organizations dealing with the protection of children’s rights have informed that in the previous days they received calls and instructions regarding the candidate nomination process from the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, as well as the Cabinet of the Minister without portfolio in charge of gender equality. They also received invitations from the local self-government units that finance the projects of these organizations.
Such actions represent a direct violation of the letter and spirit of the Law on Electronic Media, which clearly stipulates who are the authorized proposers in the process of selecting REM members. The executive power is not the proposer and has no role in the nomination procedure, and its involvement through political pressure seriously threatens the independence and legality of the entire process. Please note that the mentioned activities indicate abuse of official position, which is punishable by a prison sentence of two to twelve years. That’s why we invite other organizations that are under pressure to document the invitations and reports to the competent authorities and Citizens’ Initiatives.
We remind the National Assembly that during the last election process for members of the Council, which was annulled, a series of irregularities started with political pressure on the proposers. We expect that this time the National Assembly will make it clear that it is responsible for the implementation of the procedure and that it will ensure that every further step takes place in accordance with the law, without external influence.
We invite the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and the competent Committee for Culture and Information to publicly warn the representatives of the executive power to refrain from any interference in the election process, in order to preserve the legality, integrity and public trust in the work of REM as an independent regulatory body.
Civic initiatives sent a report to the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in which they point to serious legal and procedural irregularities in the previous process of electing members of the Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM).
The analysis is based on the findings from the Citizen Initiatives report, updated on April 30, 2025, as well as on the relevant provisions of the Law on Electronic Media (“Official Gazette of RS”, No. 92/2023). The election procedure – which was supposed to implement the new law and renew the REM Council after the expiration of the mandate of the previous members – deviates from the letter and spirit of the law in several aspects. Citizen initiatives appeal that these irregularities be urgently reviewed and corrected so that the current REM Council election procedure is fully compliant with legal requirements, thus preserving the legality and integrity of this important regulatory body.
Identified irregularities are grouped into three key areas: (1) irregularities related to the legality of candidates nominated for membership in the Council; (2) irregularities related to the legality of the proposers (organizations that propose candidates); (3) procedural violations in the implementation of the election process itself.
The full report can be downloaded by clicking the button below:
Report abuses through the mechanism of ŠTIT Civic Initiatives at the address: stit@gradjanske.org
