A storm is brewing in Serbia following the dismissal of national Eurovision selection producer Olivera Kovačević by the Serbian national broadcaster. Is the Serbian broadcaster acting under political influence?
A wave of controversy has erupted in Serbia after the national broadcaster, RTS, dismissed Eurovision pre-selection producer Olivera Kovačević. According to Kovačević, her firing was the result of her public support for the student protests in Serbia against the government. Serbia has confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026, set to be held in Austria, and is expected to continue selecting its representative for the contest through its national selection, “Pesma za Evroviziju,” the format in place since 2022.
Kovačević’s dismissal came after she stood firmly by her principle of allowing freedom of protest during live broadcasts. Serbia has seen massive student-led protests that have paralyzed the educational sector since last December, following a tragic incident in Novi Sad in which dozens of people were killed when the roof of a train station collapsed. Serbian students demand that the government take responsibility for the tragedy, denounce widespread corruption, and have launched major university closures and mass rallies in large cities such as Belgrade and Novi Sad.
Throughout the unrest, Kovačević openly supported the protests on air: she never concealed her support and permitted anyone wishing to do so to display the “Red Hand” symbol—a trademark of the Serbian protest movement—or present a student ID card as a form of solidarity. She has also filed a defamation lawsuit against Serbian President Aleksander Vučić.
The Serbian national broadcaster maintains that Kovačević was dismissed for allegedly failing to meet international broadcasting standards. However, many consider this explanation unconvincing, especially since the Serbian national selection was one of the most widely covered in the past year and its broadcasts were streamed live on the official Eurovision YouTube channel.
Serbia at Eurovision 2025
“Mila” is the title of the song performed by Serbian singer Princ, who represented Serbia at the Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, finishing 14th in the second semi-final with 28 points. The song was written by Dušan Bačić. This marks his first foray into the Eurovision contest. The song is performed in Serbian.
The song deals with feelings of intense love and the accompanying pain, with the lyrics describing feelings of longing, shared memories, and a deep connection that persists despite difficulties and distances. Currently, the singer is placed at the 29th place in the betting odds tables.
Eurovision 2025: This will be Serbia’s 17th participation in Eurovision. Serbia joined the contest in 2007 and achieved its best result in the same year when singer Marija Šerifović won first place with the song “Molitva”.
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Ofek Jerassi is an Israeli reporter, editor, content creator, and commentator, specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He has developed his extensive expertise since childhood, becoming a close follower of the contest. For the past three years, he has served as a writer and editor for EuroMix—Israel’s largest Eurovision website and one of the world’s leading platforms in the field, with over 1.5 million users annually.
Ofek covered Eurovision 2025 on-site in Basel from the press center in the host city, providing EuroMix readers with firsthand experiences, professional analysis, and exclusive reactions from the audience, artists, and experts. His in-depth knowledge and broad familiarity with the Eurovision world are evident in every article, ensuring reliable, professional, and up-to-date content.
In his personal life, Ofek is a medic and avid traveler. He writes out of a genuine love for Eurovision, placing strong emphasis on credibility, professional commentary, and presenting a diverse range of opinions.
