Serbian Democrats urge media regulator members to resign

The Democratic Party (DS) has called on Rodoljub Šabić, a lawyer and member of Serbia's Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) council, along with other council members, to resign. The DS argues that their continued presence legitimizes a media landscape increasingly dominated by propaganda, hate speech, and targeted attacks, particularly against independent outlets.

According to the DS, REM has failed to take any significant action since its new members assumed their roles. They point to data indicating President Aleksandar Vučić's frequent television appearances, suggesting a lack of genuine media reform. The party also raised concerns about the development of regional pro-government television networks, some of which allegedly operate without proper registration or REM authorization, yet receive substantial public funding.

The DS statement further questioned REM's silence on the attempts to shut down the independent television channels N1 and Nova S. The party noted that four independent candidates were elected to the REM council in November 2025 but resigned in December. They subsequently decided to participate in the council's work after the parliament adopted an authentic interpretation of a law concerning electronic media in July 2026.

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Istovremeno, širom Srbije se gradi regionalna mreža režimskih televizija. Pojedine od njih emituju program preko Telekoma bez upisa u Registar medija i bez dozvole REM-a, a dobijaju milione iz gradskih budžeta iako ne ispunjavaju ni osnovne zakonske uslove za učešće na konkursima.