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Prague – The approval of the controversial government proposal to change the selection of councilors of Czech Television (ČT) and Czech Radio (ČRo) began today in the House of Representatives with opposition criticism. The chairwoman of the ANO deputies Alena Schillerová and the leader of the SPD Tomio Okamura almost unanimously stated that behind the amendment lies the coalition's attempt to control both public media. The Minister of Culture Martin Baxa (ODS), on the other hand, once again insisted that the proposed changes strengthen the independence and stability of the public service media, especially by the fact that it will not be possible to dismiss the councils as a whole, but only their individual members.
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In the election of councilors of the Czech Republic and the Czech Republic, the government amendment involves the Senate, which is supposed to occupy a third of the seats. The definition of organizations that can submit candidate proposals is to be tightened.
Schillerová said that the coalition wants to control the public service media and “keep an eye on” this year's election of the new CEO of Czech Television. “By law, you introduce mores that you yourself criticize if they happen in other countries, for example in Hungary,” noted Schillerová. The government camp urged that it “do not go down the path of authoritarian states.
“It is another attack on democracy and plurality of opinion,” Okamura said of the proposal. According to him, the government wants to complete the political control and occupation of the control boards of the pair public media, thereby ensuring influence on the broadcasts of ČT and CRo, especially in news and journalism. Only pro-government and pro-Union views should be broadcast, and the presentation of opposition views should be limited, the SPD chairman thinks.
Government draft The Chamber of Deputies approves an extraordinary meeting convened at the initiative of coalition MPs, when the opposition blocked the final round of its discussion at the last regular meeting. The MPs did not debate the draft program of the extraordinary meeting. The Chamber approved it with the votes of 80 of the 146 legislators present, mainly from the coalition ranks. They voted in favor, according to the record and two MPs YES.
The current meeting could also continue on Friday, when approval of laws in the Chamber is only possible on Wednesdays and Thursdays according to the rules of procedure h between 09:00 and 14:00. The opposition could veto the allocation of other hours as well.
