site.btaEmil Koshlukov Challenges CEM Decision to Appoint Milena Milotinova as Director General of Bulgarian National Television

Outgoing Director General of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Emil Koshlukov, filed a complaint with the Sofia Regional Administrative Court challenging the Council for Electronic Media’s (CEM) decision to appoint Milena Milotinova as his successor, the Court announced on its website on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, CEM elected Milotinova as BNT Director General. She received the votes of CEM Chair Simona Veleva and members Kadrinka Kadrinova and Gabriela Naplatanova. Galina Georgieva and Velkova voted against.

The complaint incorporates a request for suspension of the enforcement of the contested decision, the Court explained. A case has been opened on the complaint and a reporting judge has been randomly assigned from among the Court’s panel, the statement said.

The procedure for selecting a new Director General of BNT had been suspended in 2025 because of court proceedings. The case concluded on February 13, 2026, with a ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court, which annulled a decision of the Sofia Regional Administrative Court to halt the enforcement of CEM’s earlier decision on the BNT leadership. At the same session, CEM members admitted all candidates to the second stage of the procedure, involving the review of their development concepts and documentation. They decided that this stage would take place on February 19, with the selected candidate to be announced on February 20.

In November 2025, the Sofia Regional Administrative Court had suspended the renewed procedure for choosing a Director General. Five candidates had applied for the post with the Council for Electronic Media: Svilena Dimitrova, Emil Koshlukov, Sasho Yovkov, Nevena Andonova, and Milena Milotinova. The new head of the public broadcaster had initially been expected to be chosen on October 16, but the procedure was frozen following the court ruling. The competition for BNT's top post has been ongoing since 2022 when Koshlukov's previous term in office ended. As no candidate has received the necessary votes since then, Koshlukov remained in office as acting Director General. A number of court appeals surrounded the election process.