Montenegro Broadcaster Names New Chief

A new general director was appointed chief of public broadcaster Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG) on Tuesday. The move follows months of disputes, layoffs, accusations of political influence and alleged rigging of competitions.

RTCG's council, the managing body in charge of the broadcaster, voted in favour of Andrijana Kadija, an experienced state TV journalist who already fronted the public broadcaster as acting director for several months.

In three rounds of voting on Tuesday, Kadija beat 10 other candidates, including Radojka Rutovic, the former editor-in-chief and director of state television, whose removal was a condition of all opposition parties ahead of parliamentary elections in 2016.

There has been sharp criticism of RTCG, and particularly its television channel under Rutovic's leadership, for having been a mouthpiece of former Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and his centre-left  Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS).

Explaining the decision to appoint Kadija, the president of the RTCG's council, Vladimir Pavicevic, said that he hoped that they have selected the most suitable candidate.

 "The council will actively monitor the work of RTCG and fully contribute so that the public broadcaster can meet the expectations of the citizens," Pavicevic said.

Kadija, who will formally take the seat next week is generally considered a professional journalist and in her long career, she has distanced herself from political disputes.

Under Kadija's leadership in the past six months, RTCG has aligned itself less closely with the ruling party and the government, offering room to the regime's critics. According to recent local watchdog assessments, the public broadcaster has produced demonstrably...