Bulgaria

[BG] Bulgarian National Radio without Legitimate Director General

IRIS 2001-6:1/7

Antoaneta Arsova

Broadcasting Council of the Czech Republic

Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court invalidated the appointment of the Director General of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).

According to the Bulgarian Radio and Television Act, the National Council for Radio and Television (NCRT) appoints the Director General. After the NCRT failed to elect a director in January following an application procedure announced in December 2000, the Council initiated a second procedure and invited interested Bulgarian organizations to submit their nominations for Director General of the National Radio. After the nominations the Council organized public hearings where each of the eight nominees presented their programs.

On 6 February the NCRT chose one candidate from among all nominees as Director General of Bulgarian National Radio. When the appointment was announced over 500 radio employees began a protest against the NCRT's decision stating that the chosen candidate did not fulfill the selection criteria announced by the Council. The acting director general, who had been appointed to serve as acting Director during the application process, dismissed a number of radio journalists who had participated in the protest.

In the meantime, the two organizations that nominated the candidate declared that their nominations are not valid because of an inconsistency with their own statutes and the requirements of the Non-Profit-Corporations Act.

The Supreme Administrative Court finally judged the nomination to be invalid and therefore decided the candidate had not been eligible for appointment.

Immediately after the decision of the Supreme Administrative Court, the National Council for Radio and Television took the decision to initiate the appointment of a new Director General of BNR. Nevertheless on 24 April the Acting Chairman of the NCRT submitted a personal appeal against the court ruling.