Former boxer Briedis joins Latvia First faction in Riga council

Former boxer and Riga City Council member Mairis Briedis has joined the Latvia First party’s faction, which will now have 14 seats, LSM reported on Wednesday. Briedis had been an independent councillor after leaving the Stabilitātei! faction.

Briedis ran on the Latvia First list in the 15th Saeima elections but was not elected. Since beginning his work on the council, he has attended the party faction’s meetings and met with heads of municipal companies, whom the faction questioned.

He left the Stabilitātei! faction in August last year but did not then explain why. Before joining that party ahead of municipal elections, Briedis had been a member of Saskaņa and had unsuccessfully run for the Saeima. Saskaņa, which had governed Riga for many years, did not win seats on the city council in the election.

Briedis announced the end of his sporting career in August 2024 after 25 years in the sport. He became a world champion in the cruiserweight division and won the World Boxing Super Series.