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New Riga coalition might scrap one vice-mayor's job and overhaul committees

BC, Riga, 01.09.2020.Print version
The coalition which is currently being formed on the newly elected Riga City Council and which calls itself the "coalition of change", might scrap one vice-mayor's job and overhaul the committees, according to information obtained by LETA.

According to the draft memorandum proposed to the would-be coalition, the city's administration will be formed by the chairman of the Riga City Council who will also chair the city council's finance and administration committee. 


The memorandum also stipulates that the chairman of the city council has only one deputy. 


The number of Riga vice mayors has always been a subject of political haggling which could be changed by the city council as necessary. At a time when the city was ruled by the coalition of Harmony and Honor to Serve Riga (GKR), Riga mayor Nils Usakovs (Harmony) had only one deputy - Andris Ameriks (GKR).


Previously, mayor Janis Birks (National Alliance) had three deputies - Andris Argalis (People's Party), Almers Ludviks (Latvia's First Party/Latvia's Way) and Janis Dinevics (Social Democratic Party).


The presumptive coalition also plans to reform the housing and environment committee, transforming it into the urban environment and climate committee. The social affairs committee, meanwhile, would be transformed into the social and housing affairs committee. 


The number of committees would remain unchanged. 


As reported, four political groups have agreed to form the ruling coalition in Riga, with Martins Stakis of the alliance Development/For and the Progressives (APP) regarded as the most likely candidate to become the next mayor of Riga. APP is holding the coalition talks with New Unity, the National Alliance/Latvian Association of Regions (NA/LRA) and the New Conservative Party (JKP).






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