19-26 January 2024
Republic Election Commission (RIK) passes decision on awarding seats to the MPs. The decision was backed by ten RIK members, while five voted against it. RIK earlier adopted a general report on the results of the December parliamentary elections. According to the report, the Aleksandar Vučić – Serbia Must Not Stop list will have 129 seats in the parliament, the Serbia Against Violence list 65, the list headed by the Socialist Party of Serbia 18, while the National Democratic Alternative (NADA) coalition list and the We – The Voice of the People list will get 13 seats each. (RTS (Serbian), 22 January 2024)
Opposition stages protest in front of RTS and Constitutional Court. Serbian opposition staged a new protest in central Belgrade on 26 January, marching from the Constitutional Court to the public broadcaster RTS. It was organized to express dissatisfaction over the failure of the Constitutional Court to annul the December elections and the RTS reporting on the protests and allegations of election fraud. (Radio Free Europe (Serbian), 26 January 2024)
Election observers’ mission under attack by Serbian authorities. CRTA, civil society organization which documented a whole series of irregularities, was targeted by state officials. Calls for their arrest and banning of the organization, one of which was sent by SNS MP Vladimir Đukanović, were added to the already standard labels that they are foreign mercenaries. (N1 Belgrade, 21 January 2024)
CINS reveals secret REM data on pro-government TV stations’ campaign reporting. In late December 2023, Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) published a report on media election campaign coverage, which contained no data on the television stations with national broadcasting licenses. REM claimed it had not compiled this data, but they were published by the Centre for Investigative Journalism of Serbia (CINS). The data show a significant difference in air time in favour of ruling parties. All the television stations reported negatively about the opposition, while the coverage of the government was predominantly positive. (CINS (Serbian), 25 January 2024)
Vučić’s “Serbia 2027” plan presentation was broadcasted live by over 40 television stations in Serbia. Bureau of Social Research (BIRODI) called on the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) to determine whether media pluralism was violated in Serbia because Saturday’s address by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, was broadcasted by 41 television channels. (Insajder TV (Serbian), 24 January 2024)
Serbian government signs renewable energy deal with Chinese companies. Serbian Mining and Energy Minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding on investments in renewable energy sources with the Chinese Shanghai Fengling Renewables Co. Ltd and Serbia Zijin Copper doo Bor. “The total investment is about €2 billion and the investor is the company Shanghai Fengling. The produced energy will be used for the production needs of Zijin,” said Minister. (N1 Belgrade, 26 January 2024)
US urges Kosovo to reconsider decision on abolition of Serbia’s dinar. US urged the Kosovo Government to revisit its decision under which the Euro will be the only currency for transactions in Kosovo starting from 1 February. The Kosovo Government should consult with the affected communities, and provide ample time for its decisions to be implemented in order to mitigate the impact those decisions will have on its citizens, said the spokesperson of US Embassy to Kosovo. (N1 Belgrade, 24 January 2024)
