The Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) has strongly rejected accusations from the opposition SDSM that it attempted to ban the media broadcast of a press conference held by their leader VenkoFilipcheduring the period of election silence. According to the AVMS, such accusations are groundless and represent an attempt to portray the Agency’s lawful actions as censorship, when in fact it was merely a routine reminder of legal obligations.
“The Electoral Code clearly defines the restrictions that apply during the election silence, including a prohibition on broadcasting statements by representatives of political parties (Article 76-b, paragraph 3 of the Electoral Code). Laws apply equally to everyone, and all parties—without exception—are required to comply with their legal obligations. The document that VenkoFilipche refers to as ‘some sort of letter’ is, in fact, an official communication titled: ‘Reminder Regarding the Election Silence for the Snap Mayoral Elections in the Municipality of Brvenica.’ The Agency sent this communication via email to national media outlets, as well as to media outlets whose programming is accessible within the territory of the Municipality of Brvenica, with a clear objective: to remind them of the rules and obligations established by the Electoral Code. This communication constitutes neither a ban nor censorship, nor is it an attempt to restrict the right to information. Rather, it represents the fulfillment of the Agency’s legal mandates—actions that cannot be equated with censorship simply because they may be politically inconvenient for some,” the AVMS said in a press release.
The reminder regarding the election silence period for the first round was sent on October 15, 2026, shortly after 1:00 p.m., while the reminder for the runoff was sent on October 29 at 3:17 p.m.
Both communications have been made publicly available on the Agency’s website and clearly demonstrate that this is a standard institutional practice, a preventive measure intended to uphold the rule of law and protect the integrity of the electoral process.