Civic initiatives demand that the National Assembly and the Government of Serbia stop all manipulations in connection with the election of members of the Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) and to enable the independence of the body that ensures professional and objective media reporting such as public services, Pinka, TV Happy, TV B92 and TV Prva.
At the moment of the biggest protests in Serbia since the 1990s, and despite the held and announced student protests in front of RTS and RTV, the Government of Serbia and the Committee for Culture and Information are using political pressure and a network of fictional organizations to ensure control over the key pillar of the authoritarian way of ruling. The process of electing members of the REM Council, which has the most important authority over these media, is compromised by the illegal candidacy of persons who do not meet the legal criteria, and who prove their loyalty to the authorities through years of biased action.
Dejan Vuk Stanković, political analyst and frequent guest of regime media, is an example of a candidate whose nomination openly threatens the independence of REM. His recent statements that the latest protests “try to provoke repression” and are organized by “a small hypnotized crowd that goes nowhere and does nothing” (video available HERE) recommended him for the post of Council member. Leontina Pat, a well-known artist and candidate for the REM Council, has previously been involved in campaigns in support of the ruling party, including musical performances such as performing a song as part of the “Aleksandar Vučić – Because We Love Belgrade” campaign and signing a petition in support of the “Serbia must not stop” list during 2023. Stevica Smederevac, head of REM’s Monitoring and Analysis Service, publicly stated that national frequency television stations like Pink and Happy “fully fulfill their legal obligations.”
The Citizen Initiatives report reveals that out of a total of 34 candidates for REM Council members, even 17 do not meet the legal criteria, as well as 32 of the 121 proponents, such as Megatrend, which does not meet the legal requirements. These data clearly indicate systemic abuse of process and political pressure. The report is available to the public as of today.
Civic initiatives call on the National Assembly to urgently announce the date of the session at which REM Council members will be elected. We call on competent institutions, the professional public and citizens to react urgently in order to stop the further collapse of REM and ensure its independence. The regulatory body for electronic media is crucial for preserving professional standards in the media and democratic values in Serbia. A transparent and legal election process is the first step towards free elections and government accountability.
You can download the complete Report on the selection process for the REM Council by clicking the button below:
IMPORTANT – The report has been updated: Compared to the previous version, the report has been supplemented with information on the withdrawal of the candidacies of seven candidates from the election process, as well as on the decision of the competent committee to announce a new competition. The decision to announce a new competition comes after the student blockade of the Serbian Radio Television building, with which the students clearly expressed their demand for new, legitimate elections for the REM Council.
Download the updated report by clicking the button below: