Political corruption is the abuse of entrusted public authority by political officeholders or institutions for the purpose of obtaining unlawful private or partisan gain. It undermines democracy, weakens the rule of law, and leads to an unfair distribution of resources in society.

We are witnessing precisely this form of political corruption in the Parliament of Montenegro through the ongoing process of electing members of the RTCG Council. In blatant violation of the Law on RTCG, the parliamentary majority is conducting a politically driven process with the clear objective of appointing to the RTCG Council individuals who formally present themselves as candidates nominated by civil society organisations, while in reality representing the political interests of the ruling parties.

This is best illustrated by yesterday’s decision of the Administrative Committee, which amended the previously established list of candidates. Although the new list no longer includes the finally convicted candidate Veselin Drljević, the Administrative Committee failed to act in accordance with the Law on RTCG by refusing to include Olivera Nikolić, a candidate who fully meets all statutory requirements, in his place. In doing so, the parliamentary majority has once again demonstrated that its objective is not to ensure a lawful procedure, but to secure a politically compliant RTCG Council.

We therefore call for the urgent convening of a new session of the Administrative Committee to rectify this decision by including Olivera Nikolić on the final list of candidates to be voted on in the parliamentary plenary. At the same time, we call for the documentation submitted by the candidates Amar Škrijelj and Vladan Mićunović to be re-examined in order to determine whether they meet the statutory eligibility criteria. This review should be conducted in the presence of representatives of both the parliamentary majority and the opposition serving on the Administrative Committee, as well as representatives of the civil society organisations that have requested access to the candidates’ documentation under the Law on Free Access to Information. Only such an approach can ensure full transparency and eliminate any suspicion of the selective application of the law.

The law stipulates that the public service broadcaster RTCG must be autonomous, independent, and accountable to the public. These principles can only be safeguarded through a lawful and transparent procedure for appointing members of its Council. When that procedure is conducted in violation of the law, it undermines the very essence of a public broadcaster – its independence from political influence. The parliamentary majority continues to carry out the appointment process for the two Council members nominated by civil society organisations (from the fields of human rights and media) in blatant violation of the Law on RTCG. These positions are intended for respected, independent experts, not for unlawfully imposed political loyalists.

Further evidence that this is a politically driven process is the fact that the Speaker of Parliament, Andrija Mandić, and the Secretary General of Parliament have for more than a month prevented the Media Centre and the Montenegro Media Institute from accessing the complete documentation submitted by the candidates, despite their request being made in accordance with the Law on Free Access to Information. If the procedure is lawful, there is no legitimate reason to withhold this documentation from the public.

Our claim that this is a politically driven process is further reinforced by the silence of the representative of civil society organisations, Amar Škrijelj, who, since the beginning of this farce, has never publicly called for the disclosure of his own documentation to dispel any doubts regarding his eligibility. Even a cursory review by opposition MPs established that a significant number of organisations on his list of supporting organisations failed to meet the statutory criteria. In previous public statements, the civil society organisations monitoring this process also pointed to additional irregularities about which both the parliamentary majority and Škrijelj have remained silent.

The intention of the parliamentary majority is evident – to appoint politically compliant members of the RTCG Council as quickly as possible, regardless of the legality of the procedure or the consequences such appointments will have. Should this process be completed in violation of the law, legal proceedings are almost certain to follow, while the damage to the credibility of institutions and Montenegro’s European path will occur long before those proceedings are concluded.

We recall that we have already addressed the Delegation of the European Union, seeking its support for the proper implementation of the law and access to information in this process. We warned that the procedure for appointing members of the RTCG Council had become politicised and was being conducted in violation of the Law on RTCG, as well as the standards set out in the European Media Freedom Act.

It is particularly concerning that such an obvious example of political corruption has been met with silence from those who should be at the forefront of combating it- Deputy Prime Minister for the Political System and Anti-Corruption Momo Koprivica, Minister of Culture and Media Tamara Vujović, and Prime Minister Milojko Spajić.

Governments before 2020 sought to control RTCG, and they succeeded in doing so. The current government seeks the same. The essence of the problem has not changed – only the names of those seeking to control the public broadcaster have. As long as political parties continue to appoint politically compliant rather than independent members of the RTCG Council, RTCG will not serve the citizens of Montenegro, but those in power.

Goran Đurović, Media Centre
Olivera Nikolić, Montenegro Media Institute (IMCG)
Daliborka Uljarević, Centre for Civic Education (CCE)
Milka Tadić Mijović, Centre for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG)
Tea Gorjanc Prelević, Human Rights Action (HRA)
Darko Ivanović, NGO 35mm
Zdravko Janjušević, Bijelo Polje Democratic Centre
Nataša Nelević, NOVA – Centre for Feminist Culture
Zorana Marković, Centre for Development of Non-Governmental Organisations (CRNVO)
Nevenka Vuksanović, Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM)
Muamera Muslić, NGO Đakomo Adriatic
Boris Nedović, NGO Northern Centre
Nataša Međedović, SOS Helpline for Women and Children Victims of Violence – Nikšić
Radomir Kračković, Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
Aida Perović, NGO Prima
Slavica Striković, NGO Women Action
Maja Raičević, Women’s Rights Centera