Claims that politics had influenced A1 cable television provider's decision to stop carrying N1 television ahead of local elections are "ill-intentioned," Croatia's Ministry for Culture and Media said on Tuesday in a press release.

N1 news director Tihomir Ladisic said earlier the upcoming removal of N1 from A1’s program package during campaigning for May’s local elections is “a blow to freedom of the press,” and censorship, calling out the government and the ministry for not amending the Electronic Media Act or liberalising the market.

“We dismiss the ill-intentioned claims of Tihomir Ladisic, who is alluding to political influence and making such unfounded arguments,” the state ministry told state agency Hina.

Leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) president Pedja Grbin had also commented on the announcement, telling N1 that the role of the government as regulator was “to prevent interests of the public and customers from becoming victims in the race for profit.”

The ministry also replied to Grbin.

“As for the SDP leader, his statement shows that he had not even read the draft bill on the electronic media, and that he does not understand the difference between TV channels with broadcasting concessions (granted by the government) which are regulated by Croatian law, and pay-TV channels.

The ministry said the relationship between two privately-owned companies United Group and A1 is a business relationship about which the government “knows nothing,” and that press releases from both companies made it clear that they could not agree to continue their cooperation due to pricing.

“The new law on electronic media will not impose any obligations (to providers) mandating the inclusion of (specific) channels in operators’ catalogues – which is not the case in any other European country either,” the ministry said.

A1 Hrvatska is the Croatian mobile network operator that is part of the Telekom Austria Group.

(Operating in Croatia as part of United Group are the telecom operator Telemach Hrvatska, as well as television channels and websites Sport Klub and N1, Nova TV, Doma TV, and Dnevnik.hr.)