The head of Serbia’s public broadcaster RTS has resigned following the student-backed movement’s parliamentary election victory, marking another major development in the country’s political transition.
Manja Grcic stepped down after the Student List defeated the Serbian Progressive Party, ending years of political dominance by Aleksandar Vucic and his allies.
Her departure comes amid growing demands for changes in Serbia’s public institutions and greater independence for the country’s media.
RTS Director Resigns Following Serbia’s Election
In her resignation statement, Grcic acknowledged that some members of the public viewed her continued leadership as an obstacle to change.
She urged the broadcaster’s governing board to ensure that the transition follows legal procedures and takes place without unnecessary delays.
The resignation follows the October 25 parliamentary election, which delivered a historic victory for Serbia’s student-backed political movement.
According to preliminary figures from the electoral commission, the Student List won 140 seats in Serbia’s 250-member parliament.
Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party secured 104 seats. However, the election results have not yet been finalized.
The student movement emerged from nationwide demonstrations following the November 2024 railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people.
Protesters demanded accountability and raised concerns about corruption and the independence of state institutions.
Over time, those demonstrations developed into a political movement capable of challenging Serbia’s governing party.
Serbia’s Public Media Face Pressure for Reform
The resignation has renewed attention on the role of public broadcasters in Serbia’s political life.
Media organizations have repeatedly raised concerns about political influence and unequal coverage of government and opposition figures.
According to the election-monitoring organization Crta, government representatives received approximately three-quarters of the airtime devoted to politicians on national television during the election campaign.
The organization also found that coverage of the Student List was predominantly negative.
Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders ranked Serbia 104th out of 180 countries in its 2026 World Press Freedom Index.
The country recorded its lowest position in the ranking.
RTS is not the only public broadcaster facing scrutiny.
Vojvodina’s regional public broadcaster RTV recently apologized for one-sided reporting, reflecting broader criticism of media coverage during the previous administration.
The incoming political leadership will now face questions about how to strengthen editorial independence without replacing one form of political influence with another.
Serbia is still awaiting the Student List’s decisions on its candidates for prime minister and other senior government positions.
For Serbian communities abroad, the changes at RTS are significant because public broadcasting remains an important source of news and information from their country of origin.
Grcic’s resignation marks another step in Serbia’s transition, although the longer-term direction of media reform remains uncertain.
