As it was expected, Gia Chanturia was elected by eight-member board of trustees as a new general director of the public broadcaster on August 10 with five votes.

Three members of the board voted for none of the contenders in a secret ballot. At least five votes were required for a contender to win the post.

A long-time journalist Zviad Koridze and a film director Giorgi Kacharava were two other contenders.

Chanturia, 39, was a deputy general director of the broadcaster since April, 2008 and an acting general director since Levan Kubaneishvili’s resignation last month. He was regarded by many media commentators as a favorite candidate for the authorities.

In 1999, together with partners, Chanturia launched a political satire cartoon series, Dardubala, targeting then President Shevardnadze and his administration. He has worked for various television stations, including Rustavi 2 and Alania, before becoming a deputy general director.