RTVE: president by public contest

The Plenary of Congress sends to the Senate a Bill that establishes that the president of the Corporation be elected by public competition as well as that the number of directors increases from twelve to nine.

This Thursday, the Congress of Deputies gave the green light, with 343 votes in favor and one abstention, to the Bill on the modification of the RTVE law, which proposes that RTVE councilors be elected by a qualified majority, two-thirds, of each Chamber and, in accordance with an amendment approved by an absolute majority in the second round if the support expected for the first round is not achieved.

The bill continues its processing in the Senate with the incorporation of amendments regarding the text prepared by the Socialist Group, including all those presented by this group, one Ciudadanos, three from Unidos Podemos-En Comú Podem-En Marea, two of them based on a text agreed with the proposing group and Ciudadanos, and one from the Popular Group.

Among the amendments of the Socialist Group, it is proposed that RTVE directors be chosen from among people with recognized qualifications and professional experience. The councilors will be elected if they obtain the support of two-thirds of the corresponding Chamber. If said majority is not reached in a first vote, they may be elected by an absolute majority in a subsequent vote carried out within a period of no less than fifteen days.

An amendment by the Popular Group has also been approved, establishing that the RTVE Board of Directors is made up of nine members chosen from people with sufficient qualifications and professional experience and seeking parity.

The Plenary has also approved an amendment from Unidos Podemos-EC-EM whereby councilors are chosen from among people with sufficient qualifications and professional experience, guaranteeing (instead of seeking) parity between men and women. The councilors will be elected if they obtain the support of two-thirds of the corresponding Chamber.”

President by public contest

Amendments 10 and 11 of this group were approved in the terms of the text agreed with the Socialist and Citizen groups by which it is agreed that the Congress of Deputies and the Senate will approve within a period of three months from their entry into force the regulations for the election of the president of the corporation by public competition, as well as an appearance procedure for the evaluation of the competence and suitability of the candidates for the Presidency and the Board of Directors before a committee of experts made up of people of recognized prestige. professional, whose members will be designated for each occasion by drawing lots among those proposed proportionally by the groups.

The text adds that, as long as the regulations contemplated in the previous section are not approved, the election and the planned appearances will be carried out by the current regulatory procedure.

Transparency

On the other hand, a Citizens amendment has been approved by which “the RTVE Corporation is subject to the obligations contained in Law 19/2013 on Transparency, Access to Public Information and Good Governance.”

Ciudadanos' amendment so that "there will be nine RTVE advisors, five elected by Congress and four by the Senate, from among people with sufficient qualifications and professional experience, seeking parity between men and women. The advisors will be elected if they obtain the support of two-thirds of the corresponding Chamber," was rejected after a three-way tie. In the third, as determined by the Regulations, it is considered rejected.