Vucic condemned the incident as an attack on free speech and press freedom.
The incident came as tens of thousands of people took to the streets for a second night to celebrate the election victory of the student-led Student List, which ended former President Aleksandar Vucic’s 14-year hold on power. Election monitoring organisation Crta reported last week that television channels with nationwide reach devoted three-quarters of the airtime allocated to politicians to government representatives. The move echoed an incident in Hungary in July, when the country’s main state television channel displayed a black screen carrying the message, “Public media cannot lie. We apologise for doing so for many years.
Vucic, who previously served as information minister under former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, maintained a strong grip on the country’s media during his years in power. This followed the election defeat of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party three months earlier.
Student movement urges supporters to remain calm
“We ask of you to stay calm and dignified until the end of the electoral process, just like you have been until now,” he said in a video posted on his Instagram account. They have said everything about themselves, and nothing about us,” he told Reuters. However, the movement has no clearly established leader, leaving questions over who will become prime minister and take up other senior government positions. “Don’t resort to any form of violence. Your Student List and your student movement urge you on this. The association cited what it described as systematic violations of the law and the broadcaster’s programming obligations. “On the very first day of (Student List) power, they want to ban the media.
Meanwhile, the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia said it would submit an application on Tuesday seeking the withdrawal of Informer TV’s broadcasting licence.