The application process for the position of the General Director of the Public Television and Radio Broadcasting Company continues.
The process, which started on April 27, will end on May 8. Candidates wishing to hold the position of General Director must submit their documents to the Audiovisual Council by 6 p.m. on May 8.
In response to a query from Medianews.az, who contacted the Audiovisual Council to find out whose candidacies for the position of General Director have been registered, it was stated that the candidates' applications are considered confidential information and the law does not allow sharing their personal data.
Should the list of persons whose candidacies for the position of General Director of the Public Television and Radio Broadcasting Company have been registered be disclosed to the public? Is it necessary to wait until the end of the application acceptance period for this, or can the identities of the candidates be announced to the public as the application process continues?
Medianews.az turned to Taleh Shahsuvarli, a lawyer and the editor-in-chief of the AzNews.az analytical-information portal, who is a candidate for the post of General Director, with these questions.
The news that T. Shahsuvarli had participated in the competition announced for the position of General Director was published in the press on May 5. T. Shahsuvarli confirmed the news.
In a statement to Medianews.az on May 6, T. Shahsuvarli said:
“Since I am currently a candidate for the General Director of the Public Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, my comment on this matter may be perceived as subjective. However, as a lawyer, I feel obliged to say that the elections for the General Director of Public Television and Radio are conducted according to the ‘Law on Public Television and Radio Broadcasting’. According to the law, there are certain requirements regarding the General Director. For example, after the General Director is elected, he or she cannot be a member of any political party. However, there is no provision in that law restricting the announcement of the list of candidates for the General Director position.
According to the ‘Law on Personal Data’, a person's first name, surname, and patronymic are constant publicly available personal data. Therefore, based on this law, there is no problem in presenting the claimant's first name, surname, and patronymic to the public.
Article 38 of the ‘Law on Access to Information’ more precisely indicates which personal data dissemination should be restricted. Participation in the election to the position of General Director of the Public Television and Radio Broadcasting Company cannot be considered personal data subject to dissemination restrictions in this regard.
Overall, the main approach in this matter is that the candidacy for the position of General Director of Public Television and Radio is purely a public issue. Therefore, hiding a purely public matter from the public can cast a shadow on the transparency of the process, move the election behind the scenes, and ultimately damage public trust. For this reason, I am in favor not only of announcing the list but also of providing broad information about the entire process.”
Currently, the General Director of the Public Television and Radio Broadcasting Company is Balakishi Gasimov. He was elected to this position for the first time in 2018. He was able to retain his post during the 2022 election. The General Director has the right to be re-elected.
The General Director is elected by members of the Broadcasting Council of the Public Television and Radio Broadcasting Company through voting for a term of 4 years. To elect the General Director, at least 6 out of 9 members of the Broadcasting Council must vote in favor.
Naile Gasimova,
Medianews.az