Latvia’s Riga Regional Court has sentenced former Ventspils mayor Aivars Lembergs to four years in prison and confiscation of property, LSM reports. The second-instance court found Lembergs guilty of taking bribes, money laundering, unauthorised participation in a property transaction, and falsification of documents. At the same time, the court acquitted him of charges of concealing…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has elected MP Daiga Mierina of the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) as its new speaker, LSM reports. She replaces United List’s Edvards Smiltens. Mierina was only elected at the fourth ballot after the two front-runners for the post, Gunars Kutris of ZZS and United List’s Maris Sprindzuks, were…
Latvia’s New Unity will form a new coalition government with the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) and the Progressives, New Unity’s prime minister candidate, Evika Silina, announced, LSM reports. Silina said that the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, could possibly vote on endorsing the new government on 15 September 2023. The new coalition would have…
Latvia’s President, Edgars Rinkevics, met with representatives of the United List alliance to discuss the formation of a new coalition government, LETA reports. He said that forming a government with the broadest possible parliamentary majority was still possible. Earlier, United List refused an invitation from prime minister-designate Evika Silina to form a four-party coalition government…
Latvia’s United List has rejected an offer from prime minister-designate Evika Silina to form a four-party coalition government with New Unity, the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS), and the Progressives, LSM reports. Edgars Tavars, head of the United List’s parliamentary group, said that his group would propose another coalition model instead, with Silina still…
The cargo turnover of Latvia’s sea ports totalled 3.4mn tonnes in the first half of 2023, which was 14.2% less than in the same period of 2022, according to data from the Ministry of Transport, Baltic News Network reports. The Freeport of Riga handled 9.6mn tonnes of freight, followed by the Freeport of Ventspils with…
Latvia is likely to have a new three-party coalition government consisting of Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins’s New Unity and two current opposition parties, the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) and the Progressives, in August 2023, Ilona Berzina writes for Baltic News Network. Previously, Karins had assured that New Unity would not cooperate with ZZS…
The finals of the Latvian Song and Dance Festival’s choir competition took place on 1 July 2023, TVNET reports. The winner in the mixed choir competition was the youth choir, Kamer. In the women’s choirs competition, the grand prize went to the Ventspils Culture Centre’s Venda choir. In the men’s choir group, the grand prize…
Latvia’s State Police have initiated proceedings against the Ventspils-based oil product terminal operator, Ventbunkers, seizing documents, LTV’s Panorama programme reports. Aivars Gobins, board chairman of Ventbunkers, said that the police action was related to a case that has been under investigation for five years and the statute of limitations for which was coming to an…