Serbian watchdog says Vucic's media dominance raises concerns over constitutional role

According to BIRODI's latest media monitoring, covering the period from January to April 2026, Vucic was by far the most visible political figure on the main evening news programmes of seven national television channels – RTS, Pink, Prva, Happy TV, B92, N1 and Nova S.

The organisation said the Serbian president appeared on screen for a total of 67 hours and 13 minutes, accounting for 15.5 percent of all airtime devoted to political actors during the monitored period.

BIRODI's analysis found that 57.4 percent of Vucic's coverage was positive, 23.8 percent critical and 18.8 percent neutral.

The organisation argued that such a high degree of personalisation of the media space raises questions about the president's ability to perform the constitutional role of representing national unity.

Under Serbia's Constitution, the president does not lead government policy or exercise executive power, BIRODI noted.

The organisation also said the findings are relevant to assessing Serbia's implementation of ODIHR's priority recommendations following the 2024 local elections, particularly the recommendation calling for a clearer separation between the state and political parties and safeguards against the misuse of public office for political advantage.

In its report, BIRODI called on Serbia's National Assembly to open a debate on the constitutional role of the president and the impact of his dominant media presence. It also urged the country's media regulator to examine whether the disproportionate representation of political actors affects media pluralism.

The organisation called on all political stakeholders to consistently implement ODIHR's recommendations. BIRODI said it will present its full media monitoring report at a public event in Belgrade on June 29.