UPDATED: 5 candidates run for Georgian Public Broadcaster Director General

UPDATED: 12:53

Five candidates have reached the semi-final stage of the competition to take the post of Director General of Georgia's Public Broadcaster (GPB).

These candidates were:

• Nino Zautashvili - TV anchor at GPB
• Vasil Maglaperidze - publicist
• Zaal Anjaparidze - independent analyst
• Tinatin Berdzenishvili - Acting Director General of GPB, GPB's head of multimedia department
• Natia Kuprashvili - head of Georgian Association of Regional Broadcasters 

EARLIER: 12:38

Georgia’s Public Broadcaster (GPB), the country’s state-funded television, will soon have a new Director General.

Fourteen candidates are competing to take the vacant post after GPB announced an open competition for the position where anyone could submit an application in November 2016.

Today GPB’s nine-member Board of Governors will hold its first meeting to discuss the 14 candidates and decide how many of them will reach the semi-final stage of the competition. All of those candidates who will receive a majority of votes from the Board Members will find themselves in the next stage.

The semi-final stage will see each candidate present their own plan for GPB’s development and function and answer questions from the Board of Governors. This is expected to take place on January 4 and 5.

The Board will hold its deceive meeting on January 6 and will announce who becomes the next Director General of GPB.

GPB’s Second Channel will broadcast live footage of the Board meetings.

The post fell vacant after GPB’s Director General Giorgi Baratashvili announced his resignation after four years at the post in late 2016. He said it was his "personal decision” to step down as he had "several offers”, but he didn’t specify further details.

GPB was funded with almost 41 million GEL from Georgia’s state budget and it received additional 123 million GEL from advertisements and product placement in 2015.

GPB was established under the Georgian Law on Public Broadcasting. Its purpose is "to provide accurate and up-to-date information that is free from political and commercial bias and is shared without any hidden agendas. The programming seeks to address the needs and interests of the larger Georgian society through diversity of programs and viewpoints."