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Politics

Thousands protest Czech public broadcasting reform

◆1 source

Thousands of people demonstrated in Prague against the Czech government’s plans to reform public broadcasting. Radio and television workers joined the action by wearing black and stopping work, warning that the proposals could undermine the independence of public media. The plans would abolish the broadcasting licence fee, replace it with funding from the state budget and provide 15% less funding than the current broadcasting budget. Prime Minister Babiš’s government says the public would pay less and blames bias in public and private media.

Parliament approved the bill in a first vote last month after limited debate. Opposition to the plans has since grown, with a demonstration held on Monday, the strike and march in Prague taking place today, and another demonstration planned for Sunday. Protesters said the reforms could give the governing coalition political influence over public-media content and linked them to developments in Hungary and Slovakia that they said had strengthened government-aligned media.

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Politics

Serbian student movement wins an absolute majority

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The student movement in Serbia was reported to have ended the authoritarian rule of former president Aleksandar Vučić after its party won an absolute majority. The movement now intends to restore democracy and the rule of law, although it faces the challenge of addressing corruption and fulfilling its broad ambitions. The development was compared with Hungary, where Viktor Orbán was reportedly removed from office in April and his successor also promised to rebuild the country. After six months, the extent of those efforts was discussed alongside the student movement’s plans for Serbia.

Politics

Serbian Student List wins parliamentary election

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The student-led Student List won Serbia's early parliamentary election, defeating Aleksandr Vučić's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Vučić, who had resigned as president in September and sought to return as prime minister, acknowledged defeat. Reports said the Student List won 51 percent of the vote to the SNS's 40 percent, and another report put its parliamentary majority at 138 of 250 seats. Turnout was reported as higher than in the 2023 election, with about 35 percent having voted by 1 p.m.; another report gave turnout at 46.4 percent by 2 p.m. Thousands celebrated in Belgrade. The movement emerged from protests after the collapse of a station structure in Novi Sad killed 16 people, with protesters linking the disaster to corruption. The Student List has pledged to review public institutions and contracts and tackle corruption, but it has no established leader and its prospective lawmakers are largely academics and experts without political experience. Its plans for governing, including the composition of a government, remain unclear.

Business & Finance

Serbian central bank revokes Alta Banka’s licence

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The National Bank of Serbia revoked Alta Banka’s licence after determining that the bank’s liquidity was insufficient and that depositors’ interests were at risk, according to the account. Alta, the country’s ninth-largest bank, had been closely associated with former President Aleksandar Vučić’s political circle and was used for payments including electricity bills, fines and other public services. The move came amid rumours that people close to Vučić had transferred large sums from Alta accounts to Russia and North Macedonia, though this was not established. Account holders are entitled to compensation of up to €50,000 under Serbia’s deposit-guarantee scheme and can apply from Monday. Four members of the central bank’s supervisory board are seeking a criminal investigation into the bank’s oversight, saying they learned of its financial difficulties only shortly before the licence was withdrawn. The bank’s former president, Jorgovanka Tabaković, who was described as a Vučić confidante, opposes the investigation. Serbian banking officials said Alta’s problems had not affected other banks, which continued to operate normally.