The demise of RTVS means that the new institution will be without a director and a complete supervisory board for months. “The opposition warns that this could cause problems,” says MP Zora Jaurova of opposition PS. “For at least 3 months, there will be no Council and for at least 3,5 months there will be no General Director. It will be run by a statutary representative in charge with very limited powers,” she explained.
Opposition SaS party MP Maria Kolikova adds: “Not only we can expect problems but also uncertainty on the side of employees and statutory representatives who cannot do what general director can.”
Dušan Jarjabek of coalition Smer-SD party in his amendment proposal also created the possibility that in the transitional period the institution does not have to be headed by a person who is currently its employee. “All of this is based on debates with Culture Ministry.“ Jarjabek also modified the validity of the law to the first of July.
According to the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Culture and Media, Roman Michelko of the coalitoin SNS, sees no problem: “Partly, the Parliamentary Speaker-in-Office will be responsible as he is in charge of appointing the statutory representative because this person will have to keep that institution operational in the transitional period.” As Michelko added, the broader political responsibility lies on coalition members of parliament.
According to him, STVR is waiting for the summer broadcast, which is not so difficult. Roman Malatinec from the coalition Hlas-SD is aware of the critical timing. “We can summon a committee so to discuss if it is possible in reality to manage running institution in this mode.”
The new law may also mean that, if the next general elections are held in due course, the politicians with a majority will gain power over the institution. This is because they will elect all the members of the supervisory board but also the director-general, which worries MEPs across the political spectrum.
RTVS
