KPV LV expels leader Gobzems from party

Take note – story published 5 years ago

On February 4 the coalition party KPV LV expelled one of its leaders, Aldis Gobzems, from the party.

After a party board meeting, KPV LV spearhead Artuss Kaimiņš told the press that Gobzems was expelled for damaging the party's image.

Meanwhile Gobzems said he'd been expelled "in the interests of Artuss Kaimiņš".

Gobzems said he won't leave the party faction for now but that he'd eventually set up a new party that part of KPV LV could join.

"Losing one little war does not mean losing everything," Gobzems said, using a pun referring to Latvia's new PM Krišjānis Kariņš (New Unity). Literally, Kariņš can be taken to mean "little war", as in war in the diminutive. 

According to KPV LV party statutes, a decision over expelling someone becomes effective a month after the decision is taken. During this time, Gobzems can still appeal with the party board.

This follows an increasingly public and increasingly nasty rift between Gobzems and Kaimiņš, a former actor and talk-show host. The two were once all but inseparable as the pair vowed to fight what they saw as unfair prosecution when Kaimiņš was detained by the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau over illegal party financing, with Gobzems acting as Kaimiņš' sidekick. 

After a very successful run in the election, arguably helped instead of hindered by the anti-corruption squad's arrest, Gobzems would eventually lead a disastrous campaign to become PM, marking his coalition talks with acts of often bizarre brinkmanship and at one point suggesting a "cabinet of experts" from outside of politics, a desperate act that could in no way find favor when it'd be put to vote. 

After KPV LV leader Aldis Gobzems' candidacy for Interior Minister was ruled out by Krišjānis Kariņš when New Unity had taken over coalition talks, Kaimiņš publicly asked Kariņš "not to include former ministers and KPV LV representative Gobzems" in the new government, so that talks continue more smoothly.

Gobzems eventually withdrew his candidacy but renounced support for a Kariņš-led government. 

The two would later insult one another as the new government was put to vote in the parliament, with Kaimiņš accusing Gobzems of being power-hungry and Gobzems threatening to leak potentially incriminating info on Kaimiņš. 

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