June 5, 2025
Civic Initiatives and the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation today addressed the Committee on Culture and Information of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, requesting that the process of determining the final list of candidates and proposers for members of the REM Council be halted until numerous irregularities are resolved.
The very bodies of the National Assembly — including the Committee on Culture and Information and the President of the National Assembly — have so far expressed doubts about irregularities concerning 65 proposers and 12 candidates.
Civic Initiatives and the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation have challenged 26 proposers and 14 candidates.
This means that, in total, 91 proposers and 26 candidates are under suspicion of not meeting legal requirements, based on concerns raised by both the Committee itself and independent observers and proposers.
In addition, official documents of the National Assembly themselves indicate serious misinterpretations of key legal terms, including claims that:
- Persons aged 15 to 18 are not considered children,
- Child protection does not fall within the scope of human rights,
- Online written media portals are considered electronic media in terms of the Law on Electronic Media.
Due to these serious and systemic legal issues, an additional request has been submitted to the Committee on Constitutional and Legislative Issues for an authentic interpretation of the relevant legal provisions.
At the same time, for today’s session of the Committee on Culture and Information, objections have been submitted by several organizations participating in this process, pointing to the most blatant violations of the law by certain proposers and candidates.
Under these circumstances, adopting the final list of candidates by the Committee on Culture and Information would represent an open violation of the law and a disregard for even its own expressed doubts regarding the legality of certain proposers and candidates, thereby further undermining the legitimacy of the entire selection process for the REM Council.
Civic Initiatives and the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation demand that the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia return the process to a lawful course and ensure that the REM Council is finally elected in accordance with the law — not through the clear distortion of the legal framework.
Civic Initiatives
Slavko Curuvija Foundation
