The PP proposes José Antonio Sánchez, general director of Telemadrid, as president of RTVE

He will replace Leopoldo González-Echenique, who resigned a few days ago.

This Monday in Congress, the Popular Parliamentary Group proposed the current general director of Telemeadrid, José Antonio Sánchez, as the new president of RTVE, replacing Leopoldo González-Echenique, who presented his resignation on September 25.

José Antonio Sánchez, 58 years old, has a degree in Information Sciences from the Complutense University and already held a position in the corporation as general director between 2002 and 2004.

Subsequently, he became general director of Institutional Coordination of Telefónica Internacional and in 2011 he was appointed general director of Radio Television Madrid (RTVM) replacing Isabel Linares.

Sánchez has also worked in other media such as Agencia EFE, the newspaper ABC or Channel 7, in addition to holding the vice presidency of the Spanish Association of Commercial Radio Broadcasting (AERC).

For its part, UPyD has presented a former director of TVE programs, Francisco Javier Montemayor Ruiz, as its candidate to preside over the Corporation.

Now, candidates must pass a suitability exam at the Congressional Appointments Advisory Commission. The next president of the RTVE Corporation must be elected by at least two-thirds of Congress in the first vote or by an absolute majority in the second, 24 hours later.

This is possible after the approval by the Government of Mariano Rajoy of a decree law by which it modified the form of election of the board of directors of public radio and television, which required since 2006 (the year in which the RTVE reform law was approved) the consensus of two thirds of the Chamber of Deputies.

Before the approval of the Royal Decree, the leader of the corporation had to be elected by two-thirds of the Congress of Deputies, that is, have the support of at least 248 deputies, as mandated by the State Public Radio and Television Law of 2006, which made an agreement between PP and PSOE necessary.

The PSOE has already anticipated that it will not support the appointment of José Antonio Sánchez as the new president.