From Gëllçi to Peza/ How RTSH collapsed under the shadow of politics and the debts of former SP directors

Prime Minister Edi Rama's warning about the closure of Albanian Radio Television has brought back into focus the deep crisis that has been accompanying the public broadcaster for years.

It is a fact that RTSH has been facing deep structural problems for years and today appears as an institution with a diminished role in the public space.

However, the failure with which the prime minister "blessed" him today, he forgot that cannot be blamed solely on the institution. 

This is due to the fact that for years, RTSH has operated under the shadow of political interference and appointments and a lack of transparency.

As a result, financial problems and abuses by political appointees have taken a heavy toll on RTSH.

In this context, the idea of ​​closure risks serving more as an avoidance of responsibility than as a real solution to the public media crisis.

More specifically, the case of former director general Thoma Gëllçi, elected by majority vote and then arrested for abuse of office in tender procedures, remains one of the most significant examples of this problematic model.

Another case often cited as an illustration of political interference is that of Alfred Peza, a former Socialist Party MP. 

During his tenure, RTSH was involved in a wave of dismissals, which were followed by lawsuits won by the dismissed employees.

As a result of these decisions, the institution faced financial obligations and debts to the state, including significant VAT liabilities, further worsening the financial situation of the public broadcaster.

In July 2025, the head of the RTSH Steering Council, Fatjon Hoxhalli, told media organizations that court cases over unfair dismissals have so far cost the state budget around 118 million lek, or 1.8 million euros. This is after around 150 people left RTSH after Alfred Peza was appointed as Director General in 2023.

Likewise, the composition of the RTSH Steering Council has been constantly the subject of controversy, with accusations that members were selected on political rather than professional grounds.

Important editorial and administrative decisions are often perceived as dictated by vested interests, turning RTSH into an institution dependent on politics.

In this context, the announcement of the closure of RTSH is seen as an attempt to blame the failures of an institution that for years has been politically managed and controlled by the government itself/  S.Gj