Competition for RTSH director/ SafeJournalists call on the Assembly to hold the Steering Council accountable

2025-01-28 14:58:00, Aktualitet CNA

Competition for RTSH director/ SafeJournalists call on the Assembly to hold the

The SafeJournalists Network has expressed concerns regarding the race for director at RTSH.

SafeJournalists has called on the Assembly to hold the Steering Council accountable for procedural irregularities and the lack of transparency in the selection process.

Parliament must ensure that the Steering Council complies with the legal framework, especially with the principles of transparency, fairness and respect for democratic norms in the governance of the public broadcaster.

The SafeJournalists Network will inform relevant national and international stakeholders.

SafeJournalists' response

On January 6, 2025, the Steering Council of RTSH (Albanian Radio Television, the public broadcaster) announced the opening of the competition for the position of General Director of Radio Television of Albania (RTSH). The application deadline was set for January 20, 2025. On January 27, 2025, the Steering Council conducted the first phase of the selection process. According to decision no. 5 of the Steering Council, dated 27.01.2025, the Council voted and selected only two candidates to continue the hearing process, while disqualifying three others by vote.

Statements by the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Public Media and media organizations suggest that there were eight candidates who met the legal criteria, yet the Council voted for five and allowed only two to advance, raising concerns about transparency and fairness. Furthermore, the total number of applicants and how many of them did not meet the legal criteria and the reasons for disqualification remain unclear, reflecting the lack of transparency of the Governing Council in this critical process.

The SafeJournalists Network is deeply concerned about procedural irregularities that undermine the principles of merit-based selection and public accountability.

According to Article 11 of the RTSH Statute, all candidates who meet the legal eligibility criteria must be given the opportunity to present their platforms, experience, and vision during a hearing, ensuring a fair and complete assessment before being disqualified.

However, the decision of the Steering Council to disqualify candidates before the hearing phase contradicts these legal provisions and violates the principles of transparency and fairness.

Also, Article 104 of the Law on Audiovisual Media (No. 97/2013, as amended) states that a candidate may be disqualified only if he or she does not meet specific legal criteria, such as experience, management qualifications, or conflict of interest.

Reports showing that all eight candidates met these criteria make the Governing Council's decision to limit participation highly questionable.

Also, the lack of a clear and public explanation for the disqualifications raises doubts about the integrity of the process.

Another critical issue is the violation of the secret ballot procedures required under Article 102 of the Law on Audiovisual Media. The Steering Council must vote through anonymous and secret ballots, to guarantee fairness and independence.

Any deviation from this process, including reports of remote voting, jeopardizes the legitimacy of the Council's decisions and further erodes public trust in RTSH as an independent institution.

We call on the Albanian Parliament, in its oversight capacity, to demand a full explanation from the RTSH Steering Council regarding the procedural irregularities and lack of transparency in the selection process. The Parliament should ensure that the Steering Council complies with the legal framework, in particular with the principles of transparency, fairness and respect for democratic norms in the governance of the public broadcaster.

The SafeJournalists Network will inform relevant national and international stakeholders./ CNA