TBILISI, July 29 – Tinatin Berdzenishvili has won a second six-year term as director general of Georgia’s Public Broadcaster. She was the only candidate.
GPB’s Board of Trustees backed Berdzenishvili by eight votes to two on Wednesday. Her current term expires on September 25. Georgian law requires the board to appoint the director general through an open competition for six years.
The director general’s responsibilities include running the GPB, while the Board of Trustees sets programming priorities, approves its budget and staff structure, and supervises its performance. The broadcaster receives guaranteed financing through Georgia’s state budget, but is legally required to operate as a public service outlet rather than a government mouthpiece.
Berdzenishvili first took the job in September, 2020, after serving as deputy director and acting director. That time, there were eight candidates for the position. Three of them made it through to the final vote, when Berdzenishvili received eight of nine trustee’s votes. The one dissenting trustee was elected under the opposition’s quota and backed another candidate.
Criticism of the GPB has continued during Berdzenishvili’s tenure, with some watchdogs and employees accusing the broadcaster of favouring the ruling Georgian Dream party, restricting opposition and pro-EU viewpoints, and pressuring staff.
Berdzenishvili has rejected those allegations. In comments to Reporters Without Borders in 2025, she said there was no evidence that GPB was controlled by any political party and accused civil society groups and private broadcasters of conducting politically motivated attacks against it.
Berdzenishvili was the only applicant, but there were two dissenting votes as the board returned her to the post for another six years, which will keep her at the helm of the public broadcaster until 2032.
