Slovenian Prime Minister, Janez Jansa, called on Tuesday for the head of the state-owned Slovenian Press Agency (STA), Bojan Veselinovic, to step down, saying that under his leadership the news agency had become biased towards opposition parties.

“It is time for the director of STA, (who acts) as a political tool of the far left, to resign, and to be brought to account for his unlawful actions. That way, he (Veselinovic) will allow the normal functioning and development of the agency,” Jansa tweeted on Tuesday.

Jansa’s tweet came after months of escalating conflict between the state news agency STA and Jansa’s government over the agency’s funding.

Under the current agreement with the government, STA receives half of its funding from the government, with the remaining half from commercial sources.

STA management and reporters have been warning in recent months that Jansa’s government is now refusing to okay the planned renewal of the agreement, which puts in jeopardy the agency’s survival.

They had accused the ruling right-wing coalition led by Jansa of attempting to control the agency’s editorial policy by de-funding it and by forcing the replacement of its senior staff with government loyalists.

The Government Communication Office (UKOM), headed by former STA editor Uros Urbanija, is refusing to approve funding for STA, arguing that the agency’s current management is denying them access to the company’s books, making any further funding dependent on the the agency opening and presenting its books.

Local journalist organizations, as well as the European Association of News Agencies (EANA), expressed support for STA and its reporters. Meanwhile, opposition parties have criticized the government’s pressures on STA as threats to freedom of the press and journalists, which led to a failed no confidence vote in February.