Four members of Serbia’s media regulator resign

The four elected independent members of the REM Council had given the Serbian Parliament until Friday to redo a vote and choose between two legally established candidates from national minority councils, warning they would step down if the request was ignored.

Since Parliament failed to act, the members said it was clear that the authorities have no interest in an independent REM.

Lawyer Rodoljub Sabic described the events in parliament as an attempted “"theft” in one of the nomination categories.

“Every national council had the right to nominate its own candidate. Only three councils exercised that right, the others did not. When it came time to align positions, the authorities realized their candidate would be outvoted, so they brought in nine more. They included councils that hadn't participated at all. Of course I have proof, just look at the parliament records. When they saw they were about to lose the vote, they suddenly remembered some ‘coordination.’ I've been calling all along for the law to be applied," he added.

Sabic emphasized that the group did not resign due to outside pressure, but rather because they insisted on legal integrity. He accused the government of essentially “bringing in candidates off the street.”

When asked whether their resignations mean the process of forming the REM Council must start over, Sabic said there is an option for a “quick new procedure to be rushed through.”

“The authorities will easily create their own REM with the help of GONGO organizations (fake NGOs that represent government interests),” Sabic added.