Civic Initiatives: The executive authority is exerting unacceptable pressure on the process of selecting the new Council of REM.

Several organizations engaged in child rights protection have reported receiving calls and instructions regarding the candidate nomination process from the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, as well as from the Cabinet of the Minister without Portfolio responsible for Gender Equality. They have also received calls from local government units that fund the projects of these organizations.

According to a statement from Civic Initiatives, such actions represent a direct violation of the spirit and letter of the Law on Electronic Media, which clearly stipulates who the authorized proposers are in the process of selecting members of the REM.

"The executive authority is not a proposer and has no role in the nomination process, and its involvement through political pressure seriously jeopardizes the independence and legality of the entire process. We note that the mentioned activities indicate an abuse of official position, which carries a prison sentence of two to twelve years. Therefore, we call on other organizations facing pressure to document the calls and report them to the relevant authorities and Civic Initiatives,” stated Civic Initiatives.

They remind the National Assembly that during the previous selection process for Council members, which was annulled, a series of irregularities began with political pressure on proposers.

"We expect the National Assembly to make it clear this time that it is responsible for conducting the process and that it will ensure that every further step proceeds in accordance with the law, without external influence. We call on the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and the relevant Committee for Culture and Information to publicly warn representatives of the executive authority 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," it is emphasized in the statement.