Civil Initiatives Call for Suspension of REM Council Member Selection Process
Concerns raised over alleged irregularities in candidate nominations for Serbia's Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media.
Civil initiatives and the 'Slavko Ćuruvija' Foundation have formally requested the Committee of the Serbian Parliament for Culture and Information to halt the process of finalizing the list of candidates and proposers for the Council of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) until numerous alleged irregularities are addressed.
According to an official statement, members of the National Assembly, including the relevant committee and the President of the Parliament, have expressed suspicions regarding the qualifications of 65 proposers and 12 candidates.
The civil initiatives and the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation have contested the validity of 26 proposers and 14 candidates for the REM Council.
The statement indicated that there are concerns regarding the compliance with legal requirements for a total of 91 proposers and 26 candidates, as noted by both the Committee itself and independent observers.
The release highlighted what it described as serious misinterpretations of legal terms in official documents of the National Assembly.
Among the contested claims are assertions that individuals aged 15 to 18 are not considered children, that the protection of children does not fall under the realm of human rights, and that portals of print media qualify as electronic media under the Electronic Media Law.
In light of these legal discrepancies, an additional request has been submitted to the Committee for Constitutional Issues and Legislation to provide an authentic interpretation of legal provisions.
Complaints regarding the most egregious breaches of law by certain proposers and candidates have been submitted by various organizations participating in the process for today's session of the Committee for Culture and Information.
The statement emphasized that proceeding to adopt a final list of candidates under these circumstances would constitute a violation of the law and a dismissal of concerns surrounding illegality, thereby further jeopardizing the legitimacy of the entire procedure.
Civil initiatives and the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation demand that the National Assembly return the process to lawful proceedings and ensure that the REM Council is elected in accordance with the law.
According to an official statement, members of the National Assembly, including the relevant committee and the President of the Parliament, have expressed suspicions regarding the qualifications of 65 proposers and 12 candidates.
The civil initiatives and the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation have contested the validity of 26 proposers and 14 candidates for the REM Council.
The statement indicated that there are concerns regarding the compliance with legal requirements for a total of 91 proposers and 26 candidates, as noted by both the Committee itself and independent observers.
The release highlighted what it described as serious misinterpretations of legal terms in official documents of the National Assembly.
Among the contested claims are assertions that individuals aged 15 to 18 are not considered children, that the protection of children does not fall under the realm of human rights, and that portals of print media qualify as electronic media under the Electronic Media Law.
In light of these legal discrepancies, an additional request has been submitted to the Committee for Constitutional Issues and Legislation to provide an authentic interpretation of legal provisions.
Complaints regarding the most egregious breaches of law by certain proposers and candidates have been submitted by various organizations participating in the process for today's session of the Committee for Culture and Information.
The statement emphasized that proceeding to adopt a final list of candidates under these circumstances would constitute a violation of the law and a dismissal of concerns surrounding illegality, thereby further jeopardizing the legitimacy of the entire procedure.
Civil initiatives and the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation demand that the National Assembly return the process to lawful proceedings and ensure that the REM Council is elected in accordance with the law.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.