Alfred Peza has quit as the public broadcaster’s general director after a stormy 15 months in post, marked by rows over staff dismissals and finances.
Alfred Peza. Photo: LSA
Fifteen months after he was controversially appointed, Alfred Peza has resigned as General Director of Albania’s public radio and television, RTSH.
The resignation was confirmed to BIRN by Leka Bungo, head of the RTSH board, who said that Peza did not give any reasons for the resignation but said it was irrevocable.
The Association of Journalists of Albania, AJA, said it was informed about the resignation and called on the board “to open the competition for RTSH director without any delay, according to the broadcaster’s statute”.
“Only a transparent, independent and merit-based process can ensure the public broadcaster is returned to the public,” AJA said. “We will closely monitor the process and insist that this process is completely kept out of political hands,” it added.
Peza’s election as RTSH general director was contested because of his political engagements in the past as an MP and as Secretary for Relations with Media with the ruling Socialist Party until September 2021.
During his time at the helm of RTSH Peza has faced continuous criticism for overseeing mass dismissals of journalists and workers.
At the end of June, at a hearing of the Parliamentary Committee for Media and Education, Peza was grilled because none of parliament’s recommendations for the service had been implemented by RTSH.
According to a parliamentary report, RTSH has issues with dismissals and appointments, falling incomes and unclarity over the use of money, but Peza insisted that the dismissals were carried out in accordance with the law and were aimed at increasing performance.
The head of this parliamentary committee, Ina Zhupa, from the opposition Democratic Party, welcomed the resignation. “RTSH’s liberation [from Peza] is a small victory in the battle for legality,” Zhupa wrote on Facebook.
By law, Albania’s public broadcaster is politically independent but the board is elected by parliament while the general director is elected by the board. Members of the current board have been elected mainly by votes of the ruling Socialists.
Peza did not respond to BIRN’s request for comment by time of publication.