Thirteen Riga councillors elected to parliament as debate shifts

Thirteen members of Riga City Council have been elected to Latvia’s 15th Saeima, with political scientist Liga Stafecka telling LSM that some of the council’s heated debates could move to parliament.

In total, 26 current municipal councillors won seats in the Saeima. The 13 from Riga represent more than a fifth of the city council. All but Mairita Lūse, leader of the Progressives’ council group, are opposition members from Latvija pirmajā vietā and Suverēnā vara/Apvienība Jaunlatvieši.

Five members of the Latvia First group will enter parliament: Ainārs Šlesers, Eduards Zivtiņš, Andrejs Klementjevs, Roberts Žemaitis and Jevgēnija Šafraneka. Seven members of the Sovereign Power/United New Latvians group will also leave the council: group leader Jūlija Stepaņenko, her deputy Ļubova Švecova, Vjačeslavs Stepaņenko, Rūdolfs Brēmanis, Jūlija Sohina, Inna Djeri and Artūrs Klēbahs. Igor Solomatins will be the only member of that group to remain on the council.

Stafecka said the changes would affect how the Riga council works, but were unlikely to bring major shifts in city policy. She said less politically experienced people could join the council, and their professional experience and familiarity with Riga’s issues would be important.

Tags: Riga, Saeima, elections