39 deputies voted in favor of the election of Ratnieks, four against.
Ratnieks has obtained a professional master's degree in law and the qualification of a lawyer at the University of Latvia. The newly elected vice mayor was the president of the Latvian Students' Association and the chairman of the National Electronic Media Council's Public Advisory Council, and worked as a lawyer in various positions. In recent years, he led the Ministry of Agriculture's Council of Science and worked as the Minister's advisor on education and science. He has previously gained experience in the work of the municipality while working in Riga City Council as an employee, but since November this year, he has been a member of the City Council.
The vice-mayors position became vacant after Edvards Smiltēns was elected to the 14th Saeima.
