REPUBLISHED

Resignations from the Steering Council escalate the crisis at RTSH

Erblin Vukaj · Originally published: 10 February 2025

The resignation of two members of the Steering Council, along with a public call for one candidate for director to withdraw from the race, has further escalated the crisis at Albanian Radio and Television (RTSH).

The council’s deputy chair, Gëzim Podgorica, and member Genc Përmeti submitted their resignations on Thursday. Their departure, also confirmed to the media, came three days after a parliamentary hearing on objections to the process used to assess candidates for the post of RTSH director general.

The hearing exposed the lack of transparency in the public broadcaster’s management.

The positions taken by the members and chair Leka Bungo before Parliament’s Media Committee reinforced serious suspicions of misuse of funds, conflicts of interest and possible legal violations, which the committee asked to be examined.

What do RTSH’s statute, the law and the procedures provide?

Under the law “On Audiovisual Media” and “RTSH’s Statute,” the Steering Council is the institution’s highest decision-making body, with broad powers over strategic direction and the appointment of executive managers.

It consists of 11 members, appointed by Parliament, who represent a broad range of expertise in media and communication.

Following the departure of Podgorica and Përmeti, the council now has 9 members: Leka Bungo (chair), Albert Minga, Ardita Reçi, Dionis Papadhimitri, Edmond Tullumani, Engjëll Ndocaj, Ilir Keko, Mevlan Shanaj and Milena Selimi.

The law provides that in exceptional circumstances, such as those currently facing RTSH, a valid decision appointing a new director requires the council to meet both a quorum of at least 7 members and a qualified majority of 8 votes in favour of a candidate.

If no candidate reaches this majority, up to 5 rounds of voting may be held, with a simple majority, meaning at least 6 votes, required in the later rounds.

The current situation, with two members having resigned and council chair Leka Bungo openly declaring that he will vote against acting director Aurora Polo, calls the legitimacy of the procedure into question.

In a letter published in the media on Monday, Bungo called on Polo to withdraw from the race because she “does not meet the requirements for education and professional experience in the media.” He argues that her candidacy could create further clashes and problems for RTSH.

Parliament must intervene to safeguard the process

The law requires the Steering Council to notify Parliament immediately of any vacancies so that the procedure for replacing departing members can begin.

Under Article 103 of the law “On Audiovisual Media”, Parliament must issue a call for new candidates, ensuring selection through a transparent process that meets the legal criteria.

In the present circumstances, Parliament must intervene without delay to restore the Steering Council to its full membership, which would remove doubts about outside influence or a predetermined contest.

This decision would ensure that the selection of the new director does not face legal challenges or renewed political clashes.

The process of selecting the new head began with 10 candidates, but only two remained in the race after the council disqualified the others.

The applicants were Aurora Polo, Eni Vasili, Enrik Mehmeti, Ermal Hoxha, Flamur Buçpapaj, Floriana Paskali, Harilla Koçi, Jetmir Shpuza, Kliton Rama and Laureta Roshi.

Only Polo and Shpuza were confirmed as candidates, while the rest were removed from the race for “shortcomings in their application files” or through votes against them by “the majority of council members”. Following this decision, the issue went before the parliamentary Media Committee for a hearing.

RTSH has been in a management crisis since September 2024, following the resignation of its director, former Socialist Party MP Alfred Peza. He stepped down after numerous objections to arbitrary dismissals.

RTSH is currently headed by Polo, whom Peza proposed as deputy director.

For more than ten years, she has worked in the energy sector in government institutions and public enterprises such as the Electricity Distribution System Operator.