Lithuanian Science Council to select LRT board member from nine candidates
The Lithuanian Science Council will choose its delegate to the board of Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) from a shortlist of nine candidates, the council announced on Tuesday, as reported by the BNS news agency.
The candidates include Nida Vasiliauskaitė, a doctor of philosophy; Ignas Kalpokas, a political scientist; Andrius Vaišnys, a Vilnius University professor and member of the Central Electoral Commission; and Ramunė Vaičiulytė, head of communications at the Ministry of Health. Also in contention are Eglė Radišauskienė, a legal and public policy expert; Kostas Ivanauskas, a Vilnius University lecturer and doctor of science; Ingrida Janulevičienė, a doctor of science; Andrius Jurelionis, a professor at Kaunas University of Technology; and Vilija Akstinaitė, vice-rector of ISM University of Management and Economics.
All nine candidates participated in the Science Council’s first public selection process for the LRT board position, launched in April. The council’s selection committee reviewed the applications and confirmed all met the legal requirements set by LRT’s governing statute. Under the law, board members must be Lithuanian citizens of irreproachable reputation with a master’s degree and at least five years of professional experience.
A final decision is expected by the end of April following discussions with the candidates. The current term of the Science Council’s appointee, Darijus Beinoravičius, expires on May 19.
The LRT board consists of 12 members. Four each are appointed by the president and parliament (two from the ruling majority, two from the opposition), while the remaining four are selected by the Science Council, the Lithuanian Creators’ Association, the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference, and the Lithuanian Education Council. These four organisations will appoint new board members for a six-year term in May. Though not legally required, the Science Council opted for an open selection process to ensure transparency, according to its former chairman, Gintaras Valinčius.