
Politics


Minister of Agriculture Didzis Šmits (United List) is the only member of the government who still has not received official clearance to work with state secrets, Latvian Radio reported May 22.

The National Alliance will most likely not support any of the three candidates during the Presidential vote in Saeima in a week's time, Minister of Culture Nauris Puntulis (National Alliance) said on Latvian Television's "Morning Panorama" news show May 23.

The theoretical talk about the impact of the upcoming presidential election on the composition of the coalition became much more concrete this week, with parties eyeing each other up and wondering what their true intentions are, reported LTV's 'De Facto' May 21.

In parallel with backroom conversations about support for one or another presidential candidate, there are also discussions and rumors about potential changes in the ruling coalition, reported LTV May 18.

A majority of deputies of the Valka municipality council voted to dismiss Vents Armands Krauklis (Vidzeme Party) from the office of the mayor on Thursday, May 18.

Criticism by Finance Minister Arvils Ašeradens (New Unity) of Health Minister Līga Meņģelsone (United List) is unfounded, incorrect and unacceptable, according to Meņģelsone's party colleague and parliamentary speaker Edvards Smiltēns.

Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (New Unity) would like more coalition action on the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and the legal framework for same-sex couples, Kariņš said after the coalition meeting on May 15.

In April, the biggest increase in popularity among political parties was experienced by the opposition populist Latvia In First Place (Latvija pirmajā vietā, LPV) party, while the most popular political force remains the coalition party New Unity (Jaunā Vienotība), according to the latest SKDS party ratings for LTV.

On Thursday, May 11, Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš met with the Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager in Rīga, to discuss issues related to the European Union's economic development, as well as the continuation of support for Ukraine.

Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (New Unity) will encourage the government to discuss the listing of state capital companies on the stock exchange, although there is no consensus on the matter, LSM reported after the coalition meeting on Monday, May 8.

Seven years ago Latvia signed the Istanbul Convention, but has still not ratified it. The case of the woman murdered in Jēkabpils in mid-April has led several non-governmental organizations to talk about it repeatedly, also claiming the responsibility of politicians for the tragedy. However, some parties represented in the Saeima do not intend to change their negative attitude toward it, Latvian Television's De Facto reported on May 7.

The Baltic countries and Poland will work on a joint declaration supporting Ukraine's accession to NATO, Saeima Speaker Edvards Smiltēns (United List) said after a meeting with his Estonian counterpart Lauri Hussar in Riga on Wednesday, reported the LETA newswire.

Latvia First (LPV) party faction led by Ainārs Šlesers has taken a decision to support the candidacy of the businessman and founder of the United List for election as President of State, said Šlesers in an interview with Latvian Radio on May 3.

Who should take responsibility for the tragic killing in Jēkabpils? Politicians see their involvement in this situation as directing the necessary legislative changes to change the approach, Latvian Radio reported on April 27.

The coalition parties have agreed to transfer the Central Election Commission (CVK) under the supervision of the State Chancellery while maintaining the independence of the CVK in decision-making, LETA reported April 24.

A demonstration was staged in Rīga April 20 calling for the dismissal of Ogre controversial and scandal-prone mayor, Egils Helmanis (National Alliance).

The National Alliance party (NA) has expressed support for the incumbent President Egils Levits being re-elected, Latvian Radio reported on April 17. The New Unity (JV) has also previously stated it supported Levits.

The Riga City Court in Vidzeme has confirmed the settlement on April 11 in the dispute between Sigulda municipality and the political party For Stability!, which stipulates that the political force will stop using Sigulda's “S!” trademark as its logo, the court said on April 17.

Presidential hopeful Uldis Pīlēns told Latvian Television April 14 he had a good feeling about his chances of becoming President in a decisive May 31 vote.

Easter messages abound online, with all manner of ministers, officials, their deputies and their deputies' deputies offering their thoughts and good wishes for the Spring season.

Three and a half months after the start of its work, the government approved its future action plan on Tuesday, April 4. The voluminous document contains 800 points. Some of these remain unclear and are expected to be resolved within three weeks at the level of ministers, Latvian Television reported.

The Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA) is holding another discussion on April 3, this time with the title "Who Is Who in the New European Neighborhood?"

The coalition party United List has asked the Finance Minister to replace the head of the State Revenue Service (VID) Ieva Jaunzeme, citing she “has no understanding of how to promote tax payments while helping the economy to live”, the United List said in a media statement on April 3.

In Rēzekne on Sunday, 217 people established a new political party Kopā Latvijai (“Together for Latvia”), the chairperson of which is mayor of Rēzekne, Aleksandrs Bartaševičs, recently excluded from Harmony, Latvian Television reported on April 2.

The Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA) will be holding another discussion on April 3, this time with the title "Who Is Who in the New European Neighborhood?"

Latvia must find a way to get rid of the procurement agreement for centralized food supply for the National Armed Forces (NBS), Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (New Unity) said on Latvian Television Wednesday, March 29, morning.

The Saeima should not rush the amendments to the Law on Public Electronic Media, which provides for the merger of Latvian Radio and Latvian Television as of January 1, 2024, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (New Unity) wrote on Twitter Monday, February 27. LSM is also a part of the public media framework.

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.
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