The Albanian public broadcaster, RTSH, has become embroiled in a major governance crisis following its disputed process for selecting a new Director General. In January, the RTSH Steering Council short-listed just two finalists out of ten applicants, prompting accusations of procedural and legal violations. Against this backdrop, Albania’s parliamentary Committee for Education and Means of Public Information summoned the Steering Council for a hearing on 3 February 2025. Both ruling and opposition MPs expressed alarm over the lack of transparency and rule-of-law breaches in the selection.
Under intense scrutiny, two members of the Steering Council resigned on 6th February 2025. For now, the selection has been suspended, and RTSH remains under interim leadership. Many observers worry that these setbacks threaten the broadcaster’s mission to serve as an impartial and trustworthy source of news for the Albanian public. Pressure is mounting on the Council to conduct a truly transparent, merit-based competition to restore credibility and comply with Albania’s Audiovisual Media Law.
The SafeJournalists Network has also expressed its concerns about the procedural irregularities that undermine the principles of merit-based selection and public accountability regarding the competition for the position of General Director of the Albanian Radio and Television (RTSH). SJN urged the Steering Council to retract its decision and the Parliament to exercise its oversight role. SJN noted that they stand in solidarity with stakeholders demanding a fair, transparent, and lawful process. They will continue to monitor developments to ensure RTSH operates following the principles of accountability, fairness, and democratic integrity.
The OSCE Presence in Albania joined cross-party support and Associations of Journalists of Albania, SCIDEV, and Safe Journalists in welcoming RTSH’s decision to suspend the General Director selection process. The Presence called for a transparent, merit-based process ensuring fairness and accountability. This was also supported by EU Ambassador to Albania Silvio Gonzato who emphasized the importance of trust and transparency in promoting freedom of expression in Albania, highlighting that the launch of the open dialogue platform is a step in the right direction, in a statement on X (twitter) platform.
Read the full SCiDEV analysis of the situation.