The Media Advocacy Coalition believes that the election of Vasil Maglaperidze as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Public Broadcaster will cause significant reputational damage to the idea of creating an impartial public broadcaster and reduce the possibility of political independence of publicly funded channels.
Today, 11 April 2022, it became known that with the so-called majority quota, the ruling Georgian Dream party put forward Vasil Maglaperidze, former director of Public Broadcaster and former member of the political council of Georgian Dream and former deputy chairman of the party, to become a member of the board. This support clearly confirmed the leaked information that Vasil Maglaperidze, the author of the political agenda of Georgian Dream in the recent past, was to be appointed as a member of the Board of Trustees and then as its head. It is significant that this process was preceded by a meeting of the incumbent Board of Trustees of the Public Broadcaster, which, despite its efforts, was unable to elect a new chairperson.
Noteworthy that in January 2017, Vasil Maglaperidze was elected to the position of Director of Public Broadcaster. His election came as the Board did not support truly independent and professional candidates, despite there being a number of qualified candidates. As the Coalition noted back then, the election of Maglaperidze was a decision that damaged the broadcaster’s reputation.
Vasil Maglaperidze resigned shortly before the parliamentary elections on 18 August 2020. “No one with different goals should find an excuse to doubt and question the impartiality of the TV channel,” Maglaperidze said then explaining his resignation. Soon after, in January 2021, he became a member and deputy chairperson of the political council of the Georgian Dream. A few months later, on 8 March 2021, he resigned from the ruling party citing health reasons.
Speaking to the Competition Commission on 7 April 2022, Maglaperidze said that he had refused the position of director of the Public Broadcaster before because he had failed to fulfil his promises. But he said having served as deputy chairperson of the Georgian Dream in the past would not prevent him from being objective, which he claimed was confirmed by the period he spent at the broadcaster.
The Coalition urges the members of the Parliament of Georgia to pay attention to the vision of Vasil Maglaperidze by which he publicly rejects the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting, namely the Article of 30.1.z., to approve the permanent staffing plan of the Public Broadcaster and the official renumeration of the employees on the recommendation of the Director General. In his opinion, there is no need for a permanent staffing list in the Public Broadcaster, which contradicts the important function of the Board of Trustees.
We believe that the MPs should take a special responsibility in the process of recruitment of the Board of Trustees of the Public Broadcaster and make decisions in favour of the unbiased [editorial line] and political independence of the Public Broadcaster.
