Freedom of the press
Slovakia dissolves public broadcaster RTVS
Tens of thousands had previously protested against the dissolution of the public broadcaster RTVS in Slovakia. Photo
© Jaroslav Novák/tasr/dpa
Despite long-lasting protests, the Slovak government has agreed to replace the public broadcaster. Critics warn that this will be a compliant mouthpiece for the government.
In Slovakia, parliament has approved the dissolution of the public broadcaster RTVS. The vote in Bratislava was preceded by months of protests by opposition parties and RTVS employees.
In the end, all 78 MPs from the three social democratic and nationalist governing parties voted for the controversial law. The opposition MPs, however, left the chamber in protest and boycotted the Poll.
The nationalist Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova and the left-wing populist Prime Minister Robert Fico had repeatedly criticized RTVS’s reporting as biased against them. However, due to the existing legal situation, they could not remove the Director General and his team, who had been elected by a previous parliamentary majority for a term of office until 2027.
Critics see exchange through a mouthpiece of the government
With the formal dissolution of the broadcaster, this obstacle will be removed. RTVS will be replaced by a new broadcaster called STVR from July 1st. A new management could then also be appointed.
For months, critics have accused the government of wanting to replace the broadcaster with a compliant mouthpiece for the government. Tens of thousands of people repeatedly responded to the opposition’s calls for protest in the first few months of the year.
However, after the opposition’s defeat in the presidential election in early April and an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Fico on May 15, the protest movement waned. Most recently, only a few hundred people took to the streets in Bratislava last Tuesday to protest against the government and its media plans.