Saeima will not change lawmakers’ compensation system, speaker says

The 14th Saeima will not consider changes to lawmakers’ compensation system, parliamentary speaker Daiga Mieriņa of the Union of Greens and Farmers told Latvian Television’s Rīta panorāma programme, according to LSM.

“We can see that political parties do not have the will for this,” Mieriņa said, adding that there could be several reasons. She said there was currently no single clear solution and that lawmakers were not prepared to debate an issue requiring high-quality discussion.

Mieriņa said that reviewing the Saeima’s expenditures could eventually lead to audits by the State Audit Office. She believes the decision on this should be taken by the next Saeima.

“The Saeima must not be the only untouchable institution that the State Audit Office is not allowed to audit,” Mieriņa said.

In less than four years, the 14th Saeima has received more than one million euros from the state budget to cover transport and housing expenses. The ManaBalss.lv portal is collecting signatures calling for lawmakers’ compensation to be abolished.

Experts have said that ending the compensation would not produce significant savings for the state budget, but that the discussion was also about a sense of fairness.

KNAB, a bureau that reviewed the compensation system, concluded that its regulations created risks of public funds being received without justification and used dishonestly. It recommended that the Saeima regularly review the criteria and amounts for compensation and strengthen internal controls by assessing the economic justification, proportionality and compliance of lawmakers’ actual expenses with the purpose of the compensation.

ManaBalss.lv is also collecting signatures calling for the State Audit Office to be given the right to audit Saeima expenditures. The possibility has been discussed for years, but has so far lacked political support.