We, the undersigned, after monitoring the process for the selection of members of the Board of the Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), assess that this process is openly compromised and does not meet the minimum standards through which the names of RTK Board members should be recommended. The lack of basic standards of transparency, equality, and procedural regularity are the main reasons for the compromise of this process. Therefore, we recommend that the candidates selected by the Ad Hoc Committee not be forwarded for voting in the plenary session.

We assess that the process has failed for the following reasons: the insistence of MPs from the Vetëvendosje Movement that this process be concluded within a short timeframe and the insufficient time available; disorganized conduct as a result of time pressure; violation of equal treatment of candidates; unclear and non-transparent methodology, especially the decision that candidates would not be scored after each interview; as well as deviation from the standards set in 2021 during the RTK Board recruitment process.

Beyond the identified violations, the process was conducted in a confrontational climate by some MPs from the Vetëvendosje Movement in relation to certain monitors, accompanied by inappropriate and mocking public posts by a majority MP directed at those monitoring this process.

The Ad Hoc Committee has recommended the following candidates for the plenary session: Valmire Thaqi, Flokart Aliu, Fatos Mustafa, Arbrore Riza, Gëzim Brahaj, Xheraldina Cernobregu, Njomza Beqiri, Anita Toqi, Lulzim Beqiri, Fatmir Podrimaj, Ilirjan Himaj and Avni Zuka. For the positions from the Serb community, Vidosav Kostović and Ivana Milić have been recommended, while from other non-majority communities Anesa Ćolaković and Aldin Šabani have been recommended.

Some of the main violations identified during the monitoring process, which have rendered this process compromised, are as follows:

Short timeframe available

A total of 75 individuals applied for eight vacant positions on the RTK Board: six from the Albanian community, one from the Serb community, and one from other non-majority communities.

The process of selecting RTK Board members was conducted between April 9 and April 16, 2026, covering a total of four working days, taking into account the weekend and Orthodox Easter. The first and second days were used for the constitutive meeting and the review of application files, while only two days were dedicated to all 75 interviews. The process ended at 1:30 a.m. on April 17, 2026, while the last interview took place after 22:00.

The process was characterized by disorganized conduct, influenced by the insistence of the ruling party that it be completed within a very short period. Initially, all meetings started with delays, as MPs had other engagements at the same time within the Assembly.

MPs also received the application files late and, from the moment of receiving them until the start of interviews, had only one working day to review 75 files containing thousands of pages. In these circumstances, it is not realistic to expect a full and qualitative review of this documentation within such a timeframe.

Candidates were notified of their interviews only one day in advance, some even late at night. The supporting unit of the Committee had sent a preliminary email informing candidates that interviews might be held in the following week; however, this did not constitute an official invitation. This manner of organization affected the real possibility of some candidates to participate in the process. Some of them contacted civil society representatives to express their inability to participate due to the short timeframe, as they were traveling.

Lack of methodology

One of the main concerns regarding this process relates to the lack of a clear methodology, which created space for the process to be compromised from the very beginning.

The methodology of questions was discussed and decided on the first day of interviews, only minutes before the arrival of candidates. After a short discussion, MPs agreed on five identical questions, which would be asked in rotation. On the second day of interviews, the Chair of the Committee raised the issue of whether the questions should be changed, but other MPs did not agree.

Initially, it had been decided that candidates who had not submitted all documents would be eliminated, as they had been given a second opportunity to complete their documentation. However, during the review of certain candidates, it was found that some had not submitted even basic documents, such as a CV, despite this second opportunity. In these cases, the Committee changed its earlier approach, without providing justification, by offering some candidates additional opportunities to complete their documentation. This approach constitutes preferential treatment for certain candidates, effectively giving them a third opportunity.

Moreover, one candidate was initially excluded without a clear procedural and legal basis. However, the Committee had not taken a formal decision on her exclusion and she was later invited. In another case, a candidate was invited only a few hours before the interview, and only after making public that he had not been invited due to a mix-up of the phone number.

Thus, the lack of methodology is not merely a formal issue. It created practical consequences in the management of this process, affecting the rights of some candidates and creating preferential treatment for others. For this reason, the consequences of an unstructured approach without a professional methodology have entirely compromised the process of selecting RTK Board members.

Comparison with the 2021 process

In 2021, when the Vetëvendosje Movement had just come to power, the recruitment process showed significantly greater respect for procedural regularity, methodology, and the right of civil society organizations and activists to monitor the process.

For comparison, the then committee, led by an opposition MP, Armend Zemaj, although with a majority from Vetëvendosje, held four meetings before the start of the interview process. In those meetings, the list of candidates was discussed in detail and those who could not proceed were disqualified in advance. Unlike that time, in the current process, the issue of disqualifying candidates has been addressed even after interviews, in the middle of the competition.

At that time, the Ad Hoc Committee had decided that questions would be drafted on the day of the interview and not in advance. In the current process, questions were drafted in advance, increasing the risk of compromising their confidentiality.

Also, in 2021, the scoring of candidates was conducted in a transparent manner. After each interview, all committee members made public the points for each candidate and provided explanations for their evaluations. In the current process, although the use of the same methodology was recommended, the Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee, Arbërie Nagavci, did not accept its implementation. Thus, only after interviewing 75 candidates did the committee members carry out their evaluation without adequate justification and in an anonymous manner, making it impossible to understand how each MP voted.

Another distinguishing element compared to 2021 relates to the atmosphere in which the entire process was conducted. At that time, the process and interviews were carried out in a more cooperative and institutionally appropriate manner in relation to monitors.

Conclusion

We consider that the above-mentioned violations were easily avoidable and were caused by the haste of the Vetëvendosje Movement to appoint the RTK Board, sacrificing the principles of meritocracy and equal opportunities for all candidates.

The process of selecting RTK Board members is a compromised process, and this compromise lies in its design, organization, treatment of candidates, and their final evaluation. For these reasons, the dysfunctional RTK Board should not be filled in this manner with new members, as this would have long-term consequences for its independence and reputation.

One month ago, the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, following a fact-finding mission, found that there has been a decline in media freedom in Kosovo, and political influence over RTK was one of the reasons for this negative assessment. The editorial independence of RTK is key to media freedom in Kosovo and can only be guaranteed by a board selected through a proper process.

The compromise of this process will contribute to the further deterioration of media freedom in the country.

We recommend that this process be returned to the starting point, redesigned properly, and at minimum respect the standards applied by the Vetëvendosje Movement in 2021 in the same process.

Association of Journalists of Kosovo – AJK
FOL Movement
Kosovo Law Institute
Flutura Kusari