DPS: The process of electing members of the RTCG Council has been compromised, our MPs will not give legitimacy to such a process

The process of electing members of the Council of Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG) has been completely compromised due to the obvious intention of the parliamentary majority to secure political control over the Public Service Broadcaster, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) announced.

Therefore, as stated by the DPS, their MPs will not give legitimacy to such a process.

"The same parliamentary majority that once adjusted the criteria for one candidate by amending the legal requirements for the election of the Director General of RTCG, who still ignores final court rulings confirming the illegality of his election, has, with this action, further demonstrated that promises of meritocracy and the professionalization of institutions were just a political slogan without real content," the statement says.

The DPS stated that the Montenegrin public is already aware of serious and justified doubts about the correctness of the documentation of non-governmental organizations that proposed candidates for members of the RTCG Council.

"Among these organizations are those that have not conducted any activities in the field of media, nor do they have publicly available financial reports for the previous three years," the statement added.

If such candidacies are accepted, the DPS believes that the government will knowingly enter a zone of open violation of the law and further undermine the principles of the rule of law.

"Instead of protecting the independence of the Public Service Broadcaster, the current government, through arbitrary interpretations of the law and support for controversial nominees, is trying to ensure the election of politically suitable candidates and preserve its influence over RTCG," the statement says.

Such actions, it is added, directly threaten professional standards, editorial independence and objectivity, as the fundamental values ​​of a public broadcaster.

"That is precisely why DPS, together with part of the opposition, has included the issue of electing members of the RTCG Council among the key elements of the Platform for Overcoming the Political and Institutional Crisis," the DPS statement states.

They stated that the document clearly stipulates that members of the RTCG Council are elected exclusively through dialogue between the government and the opposition, "and not through the arbitrariness of the majority, which is a condition for ensuring the professional, independent and politically impartial functioning of the Public Service."

The DPS said that it is particularly concerning that RTCG has been recognized for years in European Commission (EC) reports as one of the points of concern when it comes to media freedoms and institutional independence in Montenegro.

"Therefore, we expect the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro and the EC to carefully consider this process and publicly take a stand against attempts to completely politically shackle the Public Service," the DPS statement said.

According to them, remaining silent in the face of obvious violations of the law and European standards would mean tacit consent to further party control of an institution that belongs to all citizens of Montenegro.

"Therefore, we once again call on the parliamentary majority to suspend the compromised process of electing members of the RTCG Council and return to dialogue, legality and the European principles to which it declaratively refers," the statement says.

The Administrative Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro proposed yesterday to the parliament to elect Pavle Radovanović, Veselin Drljević, Amar Škrijelj and Radenko Lacmanović as members of the RTCG Council.

Candidates Olivera Nikolić and Vladan Mićunović did not receive the committee's support. The MPs did not vote in favor of Nikolić and Mićunović - they did not vote for, they did not vote against, and there were no abstentions.

The Association of Montenegrin Journalists yesterday submitted a letter to the Administrative Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro in which they withdraw the candidacy of Veselin Drljević for member of the council of Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG).

According to "Vijesti", this was done after a committee session, during which the candidates for members of the RTCG Council answered questions from MPs.

The EU Delegation to Montenegro said that the transparent election of the RTCG Council remains a key priority for meeting European standards in the rule of law.

They tell Television Vijesti that all allegations of illegal conduct should be investigated by the authorities, to whom these suspicions should be reported.