Saeima
It is planned to criminalize driving or teaching to drive if the blood alcohol concentration exceeds 1.5 promilles. It is provided for by amendments to the Criminal Law, which were transferred to the Saeima Legal Commission on Thursday, June 9.
The number of MPs that will be elected in this year's Saeima elections will rise by one in the electoral districts of Rīga and Vidzeme and decrease by one in Latgale and Zemgale, according to a June 2 decision by the Central Election Commission (CVK).
On Thursday, May 26, during the sitting of Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the chamber.
The Saeima on Thursday, May 12, supported amendments to the law removing legal barriers to the demolition of the Soviet memorial in Uzvaras park.
On April 28, the Saeima approved amendments to the Labour Law, which, provide for the introduction of a new form of leave – an unpaid caretaker's leave, which would be up to five working days in a year.
The Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of 18 national parliaments, including the Baltic states, and the European Parliament have made a Joint Statement calling on Russia’s authorities to immediately release activist, journalist and politician Vladimir Kara-Murza.
On Thursday, April 21, the Saeima unanimously adopted a statement on Russian aggression and war crimes in Ukraine, acknowledging that Russia is currently committing genocide against the Ukrainian people.
Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, thanked Latvia for its significant support in a special video address to Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, on April 7.
Latvia is among the signatories of a joint statement by the chairpersons of European parliaments' foreign affairs committees which calls for increased humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine.
The speakers of the parliaments of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania were in Kyiv March 24, visiting the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada.
Civilians fleeing the war from Ukraine to Latvia will be entitled to a one-off allowance of €272 for adults and €190 for each child, the Saeima decided on March 24.
On Thursday, March 17, the Latvian Saeima unanimously supported a statement calling for immediate action to establish an international no-fly zone over Ukrainian territory and other measures to curb Russian aggression.
The Saeima deputy Juris Jurašs (Conservatives) who has voluntarily gone to defend Ukraine, has given up his deputy mandate, Latvian Television reported March 14.
Today, President of the Baltic Assembly Jānis Vucāns and Vice-Presidents of the BA Aadu Must and Andrius Kupčinskas signed a statement regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on behalf of the Assembly. The Baltic Assembly is a consultative cooperation organisation of the parliaments of the three Baltic States, which discusses issues of mutual interest. Its presidency rotates on an annual basis, with Latvia currently holding the presidency.
On February 10, the Saeima supported the decision to extend the state of emergency in the Latvia-Belarus border area until May 10.
On January 20 in the first reading, the Saeima supported amendments to the Animal Protection Law, which provides for the prohibition of the breeding of animals for the sole purpose of obtaining fur as of January 1, 2026.
On December 9, the Saeima supported the draft decision on the extradition of deputy Jānis Ādamsons for criminal prosecution.
Representatives of the Latvian Saeima, as well as counterparts from Estonia and Lithuania, are attending the Open Parliament Forum in Taiwan, a move likely to prompt the ire of China, which claims the island republic as its own territory. Taiwan insists it is an independent country in its own right.
A joint statement was issued by the Speakers of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, the Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia November 23, in which the recent actions of self-declared Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko (variant spelling Alyaksandr Lukashenka) and his regime were strongly condemned. The statement is reproduced below and attached in PDF form.
Six members of the Latvian parliament had still not presented a Covid-19 certificate of vaccination or recovery, Latvian Television reported early November 15, revising the figure to four soon afterwards when two deputies did present Covid certificates.
On Friday, November 12, in the final reading, the Saeima approved a law requiring members of parliament and local government deputies to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
On Thursday, November 11, the Saeima supported amendments to the Law on the Protection of the Children's Rights which provides for the determination of responsibility for the neglect of children, as well as the definition of the term “negligence” in the Law.
On Thursday, October 21, a majority of Saeima deputies rejected a draft decision on the withdrawal of the MP Aldis Gobzems from the Saeima Committee for Sustainable Development.
On Friday, October 15, the Saeima passed the draft state budget bill 2022 and the related drafts to viewing at Saeima committees.
On Thursday October 14, following extensive discussions, the Saeima supported the government's order to announce an emergency by January 11 to limit the spread of Covid-19.
Latvian Finance Minister Jānis Reirs presented his budget plans to the Saeima October 14 for discussion and debate. In keeping with tradition he did so by handing his spending plans over in a briefcase, but in a break with tradition he used a brand new and decidedly eye-catching piece of designer luggage.
Opposition deputy Aldis Gobzems will be expelled from six Saeima meetings for refusing to present a Covid-19 certificate or a negative Covid-19 test in the on-site session. It was decided by a majority of parliamentarians on September 9.
On September 9 and 10, delegations to the Baltic Assembly are in Lithuania to participate in the meetings on the migrant crisis on the borders of Latvia and Lithuania, among other issues.
The Saeima Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee decided September 8 to forbid maverick deputy Aldis Gobzems to attend six Saeima meetings, Latvian Television reported.
Not for the first time, independent opposition MP Aldis Gobzems was the center of attention in Latvia's parliament September 2 when his refusal to show a valid Covid test certificate - despite apparently having one - forced the Saeima to revert to its e-Saeima distanced format instead of holding a full in-person sitting.
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