CCE: How many verdicts are enough to prove that Raonic's election was not in accordance with the law?

The Center for Civic Education (CCE) assessed that the latest ruling of the Basic Court in Podgorica, which once again annulled the appointment of Boris Raonić as the General Director of Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG), exposes a previously unrecorded practice in Montenegro - holding the position for many years despite a double-digit number of court decisions that determined such an appointment to be illegal.

CCE emphasizes that this is not a legal oversight or an isolated error.

"This is a pattern of behavior that directly undermines trust in institutions, weakens the legitimacy of the public service and sends the message that legal norms can be ignored with sufficiently strong political protection. All decisions of the competent courts to date have unequivocally indicated that the election of Boris Raonic was not in accordance with the law," reads a statement signed by program associate Nikola Obradovic.

They recalled that in 2025, the President of the RTCG Council, Veselin Drljević, and members Naod Zorić, Amina Murić, and Filip Lazović were sentenced by a first-instance verdict to seven months of suspended sentences for abuse of office in connection with one of Raonić's elections.

They also point out that this ruling, along with numerous court decisions challenging the legality of RTCG's management, underscores the seriousness of systemic problems in the management of that institution.

"The European Commission continuously insists on transparent, meritocratic and depoliticized procedures in RTCG. It is obvious that an institution whose general director has been challenged more than ten times by the competent courts does not meet these standards. RTCG, as the most visible public institution, must be a mirror of the application of the principles of the rule of law, and not a symbol of their relativization or humiliation of the judicial system."

CCE warns that the continued illegality of RTCG's management compromises all other processes within that company, including the latest allocation of apartments to employees.

"When the management operates outside the law, even the decisions it signs cannot have full legal and institutional legitimacy. This situation also has broader implications for Montenegro's European path. RTCG is not a public service of some other country, but of Montenegro, which announces the closure of all negotiation chapters with the EU by the end of 2026. The contrast between declarative promises and legal reality in the most visible public institution seriously undermines the credibility of the state and additionally exposes the problem of selective application of the law. CCE believes that it is urgently necessary to establish legal and professional management of RTCG, and to thoroughly review all decisions - personnel changes, tender procedures, financial transactions, contracts - and processes implemented within the framework of Boris Raonić's judicially contested mandates. Court decisions must have real consequences, and public institutions must return to legality and accountability," it was announced.