The Central Election Commission (CEC) has denied accreditation to the majority of Serbian-language media outlets seeking to cover Sunday’s local elections in Kosovo, a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from journalists’ associations and media representatives.
According to Radio Kim, dozens of outlets reporting in Serbian — including both Kosovo-based and Serbian media with correspondents in Kosovo — had their accreditation requests rejected. Among them are Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), Tanjug News Agency, Radio Kim, TV Most, Kontakt, RTV Puls, Plus Radio, GracanicaOnline, TV Gracanica, and Radio Mitrovica Sever (Radio KM). Several Albanian and regional outlets were also denied.
Radio Kim, which has covered every election in Kosovo since 2000, said its entire newsroom was denied access despite having regularly received accreditation in previous election cycles, including the February 2025 parliamentary elections.
The CEC did not provide a public explanation for its decision. At the same time, it announced that accreditation was granted to 42 outlets — 29 domestic and 13 international. It also revoked accreditation for two observer organizations, citing statutes that did not include human rights or electoral activities.
Reactions from Media Representatives
“This decision is a scandal above all scandals,” said Maja Fićović, editor-in-chief of Radio Mitrovica Sever (Radio KM). Speaking to Radio Kim, she stressed that in her 26 years as a journalist, this is the first time Serbian-language reporters have been barred from covering elections.
“The CEC has shown how unprofessional it is, discredited itself, and succumbed to political pressure from those who came up with this absurd idea — to exclude Serbs from covering elections and thereby deny them the right to be informed,” she said.
Fićović added that the rejection extended even to local Serbian-language outlets registered in Kosovo, licensed and monitored by the Independent Media Commission. “This is bad practice, an attack on democracy and media freedom,” she said, announcing that her newsroom will file a complaint once the official decision is received.
Journalists’ Associations Condemn the Move
The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK) expressed “deep concern” over the CEC decision, warning that the exclusion of Serbian-language media appears to have “a political and ethnic dimension.”
“This decision is unacceptable and contrary to the democratic values of Kosovo and to press freedom,” AGK said in a statement, stressing that such a move is without precedent. It urged rejected media to appeal to the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel, as provided under Kosovo’s electoral law.
The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) and its Kosovo branch – „the Association of Journalists of Kosovo and Metohija (DNKiM)“, also condemned the move as discriminatory. They called on the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and the international community to respond urgently.
UNS reported that it had already informed EFJ President Maja Sever and the OSCE about the decision and would address letters to international media organizations demanding its reversal.
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