Slovakia on Monday formally dissolved its former public broadcaster RTVS and replaced it with a new state-run media organization.
It comes after Slovakia's President Peter Pellegrini signed a corresponding law on the dissolution of RTVS and the creation of the new outlet, called STVR, on Sunday.
The law had been approved by the government majority in parliament consisting of two social democratic parties and one nationalist party.
Opposition parties announced they would lodge a complaint against the law with the Constitutional Court, accusing the government of creating a propaganda outlet.
The new broadcaster STVR began its operations on Monday, as RTVS ceased to exist.
However, for the audience, the change was barely noticeable as all news programs continued to be broadcast with the RTVS logo, and the RTVS website remained operational at its usual address.
Left-wing populist Prime Minister Robert Fico and nationalist Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová had repeatedly criticized RTVS, claiming the broadcaster's reporting was biased against them.
However, removing RTVS General Director Lubos Machaj and his team, who were appointed by the previous parliamentary majority until 2027, had been impossible due to legal constraints. The formal dissolution of RTVS removes this obstacle.