Romanian Parliament Meets to Appoint New Public Media Board Members

Romania’s Parliament meets in a joint session on Tuesday to appoint new members to the boards of the country’s public radio and television broadcasters, as well as a counsellor of accounts to serve as president of the Court of Accounts. The joint plenary session is scheduled for 12:00, following candidate hearings earlier in the day.

The culture committees of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate will hear candidates proposed by parliamentary parties from 09:30, according to Agerpres. The appointments are time-sensitive because the interim mandates of the directors-general of the Romanian Television Society (SRTV) and Romanian Radio Broadcasting Society (SRR) expire this week.

According to local media, Sorina Matei, the current interim head of SRTV, is backed by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) to remain as president-director general, while Răzvan Dincă, interim chief of SRR, has the support of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) for the equivalent radio post. A senator from AUR said on Monday that there is “an understanding between parties” regarding the appointments to the boards of SRTV and SRR, Digi24 reported.

For the TV board, AUR has proposed Sorina Matei and Cora Muntean as full members, with Titi Dincă and Rafael Udriște as alternates. For the radio board, the party’s candidates are Maria Țoghină and Sorin Bejan as full members, and Cristian Curte and Maria Ribana Pătrașcu-Cornaciu as alternates, according to Digi24.

The joint session will also consider a candidate for the position of counsellor of accounts who will exercise the duties of president of the Court of Accounts. The permanent bureaus of the two chambers decided last week to start the procedures for these board appointments.