The Administrative Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro proposed to the parliament to elect Pavle Radovanović, Veselin Drljević, Amar Škrijelj and Radenko Lacmanović as members of the Council of the Radio and Television of Montenegro.
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.
Radovanović was nominated by the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, Drljević by a part of non-governmental organizations in the field of media, Škrijelj by a part of the civil sector in the field of human rights protection, while Lacmanović was nominated by the Montenegrin Olympic Committee and the Montenegrin Paralympic Committee.
The decision was preceded by a special session of the Administrative Board, at which the candidates, except for Radovanović, who informed the board that he could not attend, presented their views on the future work of the Public Service Broadcaster.
Delayed procedure, committee continues work
The session was marked by objections from some opposition MPs and candidates regarding the legality and transparency of the procedure, after doubts emerged in the public regarding some organizations that supported individual candidates.
Civic Movement URA MP Milena Vuković asked whether it made sense to continue the hearing if some non-governmental organizations had withdrawn their support for certain candidates, stating that, according to her, some of the documentation was incomplete.
"I don't think we can continue the election like this. I've been leafing through the documentation. I can still problematize some NGOs, related to balance sheets, they are not in the field of media and human rights... Please let's take the process back to the beginning," said Vuković.
Candidate Olivera Nikolić joined this request, stating that many doubts have been raised in recent days which, as she said, disqualify the process.
"To avoid any doubt, I ask that you, if the conditions exist, allow us to inspect the documentation, because we have reason to suspect that there are controversies regarding certain candidates," said Nikolić.
Committee President Jelena Nedović said that the agenda had been adopted and that the session would continue.
DPS MP Zoja Bojanić Lalović assessed that the situation, which, as she said, burdens the Montenegrin public, cannot be ignored.
"The story about RTCG is a burden on the European path. Every report by the European Commission has a review of the situation at RTCG. In recent days, several NGOs have reacted and cited specific examples that indicate a violation of the transparency of the process," said Bojanić Lalović.
SD MP Branislav Nenezić said that the request for the board to comment on the objections was realistic, stating that the election of members of the RTCG Council is not an insignificant task.
"If there is even the slightest doubt, it is up to us to comply with that request," said Nenezić.
PES MP Vasilije Čarapić said that the legal solution gives advantage to the candidate who has a greater number of support from the nominating organizations.
"I trust the Service that checked the documentation more than those who later remembered to check it. Whatever the decision, let the court assess the legality or illegality of certain actions," said Čarapić.
He assessed that the board is in an unenviable position due to the legal solution, stating that it has been warned before that "more seals do not mean quality."
Nikolić: A shadow has fallen on the process
Nikolić, presenting her candidacy, said that she did not want to "force" her way into the RTCG Council, but rather to contribute her experience to the work of that body.
Commenting on the process of selecting Council members, she announced that today's decision by the MPs would be reviewed in court.
She stated that she was supported by organizations that, as she said, have made a concrete contribution to media freedoms and the media sector.
"I was guided by the credibility of the organizations that supported me. If numbers are going to be the deciding factor, they are not on my side," Nikolić said.
She said that a "shadow has already fallen" on the process, stating that there are serious doubts regarding some of the NGOs that supported Drljević.
Nikolić criticized the situation at the Public Service Broadcasting Company, stating that RTCG has a problem with respect for the law, political influence, and instability that, as she assessed, the management brings to the company.
"RTCG does not have a systematization act. When people come to work, they do not know whether they will be dismissed. Systematization is an umbrella document that must finally be adopted," said Nikolić.
She said that the political balance in the program does not mean that RTCG's mission has been achieved, because, as she stated, the mission of the Public Service Broadcaster is public interest.
"I have been in journalism for three decades, BBC, Deutsche Welle, RFE/RL... I have lived and continue to live freedom of the media, speech and ethical journalism. I live that and I think I belong on the Council. The decision is yours and may it be to your honor and glory," Nikolić told the board members.
Drljević: We created a public service that some people don't like
Drljević, the current president of the RTCG Council, said that it is not easy to talk about "the media harangue" that, as he stated, has been waged against him over the past five years.
"I am very proud of the people who lead the organizations that supported me," said Drljević.
He said that five years ago the Council found itself with "state television, but a television of individuals", and that, as he assessed, they created a Public Service Broadcasting "that some people don't like, because it's not what they wanted".
Speaking about court proceedings, Drljević said that if the Basic Court's decisions are confirmed, he will know what to do.
"If the Basic Court's decisions are confirmed, no one will have to warn me to resign," said Drljević.
He said that the fact that RTCG, according to him, is more watched than the first television station behind it, gives him the strength to apply for the competition again.
"I have a clear vision for further development - a continuation of what we have done so far," said Drljević.
Mićunović: The process is shrouded in deep suspicion
Mićunović said that there are serious doubts about the validity of the entire process and that he is interested in reviewing the documentation.
"On one side we have the transparency of the talks with us today, and on the other side a process shrouded in deep suspicion," said Mićunović.
He said that, if elected, he would specifically address issues of digitalization of RTCG and strengthening investigative journalism.
"Neutrality without truth is not objectivity. I have the impression that the Public Service Broadcasting has allowed politicians to dictate which issues are of public importance," said Mićunović.
He assessed that there is an institutional crisis in RTCG that has been going on for years, citing court proceedings against the leaders of the Public Service.
"How can we trust the Public Service Broadcasting Service if it is the subject of so many court cases," said Mićunović.
Škrijelj: Strengthen trust and content for citizens
Škrijelj said that he disagreed with the assessment that the documentation was reviewed superficially, stating that it was extensive and that there was room for oversight.
As a motive for his candidacy, he cited the desire, as a young person, to participate in the further development and modernization of RTCG.
He said that the Public Service has made progress in previous years, but that it is necessary to further strengthen professional standards, citizen trust, and focus on the public interest.
Škrijelj emphasized that it is necessary to develop content in the areas of health, education and media literacy, as well as programs related to the culture, tradition and language of minority peoples, youth and people with disabilities.
Lacmanović: Public service must work in the public interest
Lacmanović said that he accepted the candidacy at the suggestion of sports organizations, stating that "who would not accept the candidacy of the best among us - athletes."
He said that as a lawyer he worked on the drafting of several legal acts, especially in the area of improving the position of persons with disabilities, and that since 2009, for two terms, he has been a member of the Council of the Agency for Personal Data Protection and Free Access to Information.
"In those 10 years, everything that the Agency's employees say about the protection of personal data, my professional, expert and, I would say, responsible work - I will sign without a trace."
He also stated that he would sign off on everything that political entities say about his decades of work at the Agency.
"RTCG must perform tasks in the public interest. If it doesn't do that, it doesn't even deserve to be called a public service," said Lacmanović.
He emphasized that timely, objective, and comprehensive information is "the recipe for every success," and said that expanding the correspondent network should be a priority for RTCG.
"The rationalization of employees in the Public Service Broadcasting Service must in no way be at the expense of the quality of the program," said Lacmanović.
Opposition warns of political influence
During the discussion, Bojanić Lalović asked Drljević about the allegations of the RTCG union regarding the financial report, controversial service contracts, cameras in the premises and systematization, as well as where the line is between the Council's supervision and interference in editorial decisions.
Drljević responded that the allegations made by one union were "insufficiently transparent, if not completely incorrect," and that the purchase of the cameras did not reach the Council because their value was not sufficient for that body to discuss it.
During the session, Vuković said that the URA GP was not part of the calculations and that, according to their insight, the documentation was timely, but not complete.
She assessed that there was a connection between the authorities and RTCG, and reminded that the Public Service Broadcaster, as she stated, did not report on the withdrawal of support for Drljević or on verdicts that were not in favor of the management and the Council.
"I really think that you have degraded that house in many ways and that it is bad that when we think about RTCG, the first thing that comes to mind is the verdicts," Vuković told Drljević.
Drljević responded that if he is convicted by a final verdict, his resignation "implies", but he asked what is implied if he is not convicted by a final verdict.
He also said that the Public Service Broadcasting is "significantly neutral", but that it "will never be completely neutral".
"That's a utopia. It's impossible to be completely neutral in this society," Drljević said.
Mićunović assessed that the processes of electing members of the Council and the Director General of RTCG "were and remain orchestrated", and that after 2020, the mechanisms of political influence have not changed significantly.
"It seems to me that there are many people in our political community who do not understand the difference between state and public service, just as they did not even before 2020. Although they understand it, they do not want to precisely in order to have control over the Public Service," said Mićunović.
Vuković: Let's not vote before everything is clarified
During the session, which followed after the candidates left the hall, Vuković said that there should be no vote until the doubts are clarified.
"You will vote for the candidates and it is completely clear who will be elected. My choice would be completely different."
She said that the NGO is the Cetinje Journalists' Association and added that the Center for Culture and Education should be checked.
"For certain NGOs, when you take the balance sheet that they themselves submitted, there is no income. That NGO never received the money that it reported for implementing a certain project. What the NGO's statement for projects says does not match what is in the balance sheet," said Vuković, adding that "there are also problems with the statutes of NGOs that are not essentially involved in the media."
Bojanić Lalović also said that "they are casting doubt on the process," adding that there are some undefined interpretations.
"This leads to the conclusion that this is not how to build a professional Public Service that all citizens pay for. However, in addition, you know the decision of the DPS to participate in the work of the plenum and the committee and not vote. Therefore, we will not vote this time either... We must take into account that the European Commission has expressed concern when it comes to the situation in the Public Service. If we are thinking about the European path, then we really must not carry out this process to the end under these circumstances.
The Association of Montenegrin Journalists has not withdrawn the proposal?
At the end of the discussion, Nedović said that "somehow an atmosphere of pressure and chaos was created", stating that there was no document in the case files in which the Journalists' Association of Montenegro would have informed the board that it had withdrawn its support for Drljević.
Drljević previously assessed that they withdrew their support "under pressure".
"The association withdrew its support under pressure. I didn't ask for it, but I'm grateful to them," he said.
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