2024-04-24 14:10:52
Prime Minister Fico expects a parliamentary decision in June.
The Slovakian government under the left-wing populist Prime Minister Robert Fico has agreed to the dissolution of the public radio and television company RTVS. The three-party government adopted the controversial legislative proposal from nationalist Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová on Wednesday. Opposition politicians and journalists critical of the government reject the decision.
For weeks they have been accusing the coalition of wanting to replace the media outlet, which polls have rated as objective and trustworthy, with a compliant government propaganda station. Only parliament, in which the government parties have a sufficient majority, can make the final decision. Fico told the TASR news agency that he expects a parliamentary decision in June.
Several non-governmental organizations announced letters to the EU Commission and the EU Parliament in order to receive support from Brussels once morest the government’s plans. As early as mid-March, tens of thousands of people in the two largest cities of Bratislava and Kosice protested once morest the threatened dissolution of RTVS. President Zuzana Čaputová, whose term ends in June, also criticized the plan.
Not only Šimkovičová, but also Fico had repeatedly criticized the RTVS leadership as being biased once morest them. However, they were unable to remove the Director General and his team, who had been elected for a term of office until 2027, due to the existing legal situation. The government wants to get around this obstacle by simply dissolving RTVS with its new law and replacing it with a new broadcaster called STVR. However, the revised legislative proposal at least dispenses with the initially planned creation of a program council controlled by the government and parliament, which might have had a direct influence on the program content of radio and television.
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