Just a day after it denied accreditation to nearly all Serbian-language media in Kosovo, as well as dozens of outlets from Serbia proper and several Albanian newsrooms, the Central Election Commission (CEC) has reversed its decision.
At its 66th meeting held on October 10 in Pristina, the CEC decided to accredit a total of 28 local and international media outlets to observe the upcoming mayoral and municipal assembly elections.
The decision was adopted through a circular procedure, following a recommendation by the Office for Registration, Certification and Financial Control of Political Entities, based on a review of documentation and consultations with the Independent Media Commission and the Press Council of Kosovo.
Among those accredited are Serbian-language media from Kosovo – RTV Puls, Radio Kontakt Plus, TV Most, TV Gracanica, Radio Kim, Radio KM, GracanicaOnline, Alternativna, TV Herc, and the Media Center in Caglavica – as well as outlets from central Serbia, including RTS, Tanjug, Prva TV, Nova.rs, Kurir Television, Danas, RTV Vojvodina, Video Plus, Nina Media Clipping, and Insajder. Hungary’s public broadcaster MTVA has also been included.
The reversal came a day after the CEC sparked a wave of criticism by initially denying these media the right to report from polling stations and monitor the vote count.
The Press Council of Kosovo condemned the earlier decision as “unacceptable and harmful to media freedom,” while the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK) described it as “unprecedented” and marked by “political and ethnic overtones.”
The Journalists’ Association of Serbia and its Kosovo branch called the move discriminatory and urged an immediate response from international organizations.
The OSCE also reacted strongly, warning that limiting accreditation undermines trust in the electoral process and restricts journalists from performing their professional duties.
According to KoSSev’s unofficial information, Quint countries and the EU Office in Kosovo exerted significant – though non-public – concerns on the CEC to reverse its decision.
Editors and reporters from affected newsrooms, including Radio Mitrovica Sever, Radio Kim, and Prva TV, described the initial move as a “scandal above scandals” and “pure discrimination,” noting that this was the first time in over 20 years they had been barred from covering elections.
Although many outlets have now been accredited, several have already filed complaints with the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP), while journalists’ associations continue to demand equal and non-discriminatory treatment for all media.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
