
Politics


Discussions about limiting alcohol advertising in Latvia have been ongoing for at least a decade. The current amendments, tabled last week in the government, took two years to prepare and are still not fully agreed upon, Latvian Television's broadcast De Facto reported on March 27.

Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš arrived for a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels March 23 with a clear message: we need to keep supporting and supplying Ukraine.

Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (New Unity) has asked all ministries to review their spending in order to find additional funding for the health and education sectors, the Prime Minister's press secretary Sandris Sabajevs said in a release on March 21.

In an attempt to reduce alcohol consumption in Latvia, new rules are in the making regarding alcohol distribution and advertising. The government, after long debates, supported the new amendments on Tuesday, March 21, but the Saeima will still have to view them before they come into force.

The Latvian Russian Union (LKS) political party is one step away from being closed down after receiving a warning from the Prosecutor General's Office, Latvian Television (LTV) reported March 16, citing unofficial information.

Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw, Poland, March 15 to discuss the continuation of support for Ukraine, regional security issues, as well as cooperation in the fields of economy and energy.

Latvian Television's De Facto investigative show reported March 12 on the requirements of Latvia's recently-introduced 'lobbying law'. It is supposed to improve transparency in political lobbying of parliament, but according to De Facto, there is widespread ignorance and confusion about the law, even among those who are supposed to monitor it.

The Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA), in cooperation with the European Commission's Representation in Latvia and the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia, will be holding a conference titled: "The Baltic-Nordic EU Conversations 2023: More United than Ever?" on March 17.

Although electronic or 'e-voting' has been used in Estonia for many years now, the chances of a similar system being adopted in Latvia appear to remain extremely slim, reports Latvian Radio.

Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš has offered his congratulations to his Estonian counterpart Kaja Kallas following parliamentary elections in Latvia's northern neighbor over the weekend.

One of the largest state companies – Latvian State Forests (Latvijas Valsts meži, LVM), had four people on its council just days ago. Now, the whole council, including its chairman, have handed in their resignations, Latvian Television reported March 2.

The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also announced a ban on TikTok on work devices after the European Commission, the US, and Canadian authorities took the first step, Latvian Television reported on March 2.

Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš is in Germany March 1 and 2 on a working visit during which meetings with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other officials are planned, as well as a speech at the German Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (BVMW) annual forum.

The Latvian Institute of International Affairs, in cooperation with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in the Baltic States, will be staging a discussion on February 27 from 14:30-15:30 titled: "Understanding Germany: one year after Zeitenwende" and you can watch a livestream of the event right here.

The war in Ukraine is Russian, not only Putin's. Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs (New Unity) said in an interview with Latvian Television, aired February 24, remembering how it began and proceeded.

Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (New Unity) has signed an order this week to set up a Cabinet of Ministers thematic committee on European Union (EU) funds, the State Chancery told the media in a statement on February 23.

The latest political party ratings prepared by the SKDS pollster for Latvian Television show the New Unity (Jaunā Vienotība) party of Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš retaining top spot, but some intense jostling for position behind it.

What happens to Russian and Belarusian passport holders who will not be able to extend their residency rights in Latvia? Currently, the law does not specify anything, Interior Minister Māris Kučinskis (United List) told Latvian Television on February 13.

Latvia's government on February 10 approved the sending of 200,000 euros' worth of aid to Turkey in the wake of a devastating earthquake.

Internal Affairs Minister Māris Kučinskis (United List) will propose the Saeima to soften the conditions for Russian citizens' residence in Latvia and to withdraw from the September 1 deadline, until which holders of residence permits are required to certify Latvian knowledge in order to preserve the right to live in Latvia, TV3 and LETA reported on February 9.

Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš gave an entertaining and provocative launch to the Latvian Capital Market Forum in Rīga February 8 with candid remarks that included the highly quotable line: "Politics is one of the fields in which cheating is actually good."

The building of the LNG terminal in Skulte could be taken up by the State itself if the private investor's conditions are unacceptable, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš told Latvian Television on February 8.

120 members of the Harmony party from Rēzekne, Rēzekne municipality, and Ludza municipality decided to leave the party on Tuesday, February 7, Rēzekne Mayor Aleksandrs Bartaševičs told Latvian Television.

The Harmony Party has decided to exclude Rēzekne Mayor Aleksandrs Bartaševičs, LETA reported on February 7.

The Prime Ministers of the three Baltic states were meeting in Tallinn, Estonia on February 3 with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas playing host to counerparts Krišjānis Kariņš from Latvia and Ingrida Šimonyte from Lithuania.

Kristīne Saulīte, the former chairperson of the World Association of Free Latvians, was confirmed as the new chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CVK) in a Saeima vote on Thursday, February 2. She was the only candidate put forward for the role.

The Board of Harmony party is planning to assess the possible exclusion of Rēzekne Mayor Aleksandrs Bartaševičs from the party after he called for a boycott of its congress, said Regīna Ločmele, co-chair of the “Harmony” Board, in an interview to Latvian Radio on February 2.

The equalization of finances among municipalities in Latvia has gone completely awry, Rīga Mayor Mārtiņš Staķis said in an interview with Latvian Television February 1.

The Transport Minister Jānis Vitenbergs (National Alliance) has given an order to subordinate authorities and capital companies of the Ministry of Transport, which operate only in the internal market of Latvia, to review their home pages and to remove the contents from them in Russian, the Ministry said on January 31.

Daugavpils Mayor Andrejs Elksniņš has decided to withdraw from the social democratic party Harmony and start a new regional political party, Elksniņš announced in a statement to the media and on his profile on Facebook on January 26. LETA reported later that not only Elksniņš but all Daugavpils councillors in the faction have decided to leave.
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