The “Gordion Knot” entailed in appointing board members for a currently inactive broadcasting watchdog was finally cut on Thursday, as political parties in Parliament reportedly agreed over candidates.
Consensus among Parliament-represented parties is imperative in filling the seats on the Greek National Council for Radio and Television (NCRTV), given that the constitution necessitates fourth-fifths of deputies (240 out of 300 MPs) for ratification.
Lack of a NCRTV board was the reason cited by the government to pass a law transferring jurisdiction from the watchdog, to the government itself, for awarding television broadcast licenses. The same bill stipulated the controversial process for awarding a mere four national broadcast licenses to the highest bidder.
The law was ruled unconstitutional by a Greek high court last month, handing the embattled Tsipras government a severe domestic policy defeat.
Thanassis Koutromanos, the former supreme court president, was tapped as the president of the independent regulatory body, with Rodolfos Moronis recommended for the vice-president’s seat.
Koutromanos, according to reports, was the recommendation of the main opposition New Democracy (ND) party, meaning that the government was forced into a political retreat over an issue that dominated the headlines over the recent period in the local press.
