DECISION WITHOUT PRECEDENT: THE CEC CARRIES OUT OPEN DISCRIMINATION AGAINST JOURNALISTS AND BRUTALLY UNDERMINES THE PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY AND FREE ELECTIONS

We strongly condemn the decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Kosovo to deny accreditation to journalists and media outlets from the Serbian community for covering the upcoming local elections scheduled for Sunday, 12 October 2025.

Such a decision constitutes a form of systemic and institutional discrimination against journalists reporting in the Serbian language and directly violates fundamental democratic principles.

The CEC’s decision deepens social divisions precisely at a moment when restoring trust and ensuring full participation of all communities is crucial. Moreover, with only two days remaining before polling stations open, the damage caused is difficult to repair.

According to publicly available information, the competent CEC office determined that the applicant fulfilled all formal criteria, yet during the session there were not enough votes in favor, while some CEC members expressed unfounded doubts about the authenticity and legitimacy of the submitted documentation.

Such scandalous conduct disregards legal standards, opens space for arbitrary decision-making, and undermines trust in the integrity of the electoral process, which, it should be recalled, was already questioned during the February 2025 parliamentary elections.

Restricting media freedom represents an erosion of democracy: without free journalists, there can be no free and fair elections. The presence of media from all communities at polling stations and throughout the electoral process is a precondition for the legitimacy of elections and the restoration of citizens’ trust.

Demands:

That the CEC immediately, within 24 hours, annul the contested decision and issue accreditations to all media outlets meeting the criteria, without discrimination based on language or ethnicity;
That the CEC ensure full transparency regarding the reasoning and voting process of its members;
That domestic and international institutions, including observer missions, monitor the CEC’s actions and respond to any violations of media freedom and the public’s right to information.

Signatories of the statement: