Elections, EU – Baltic States, Latvia

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Friday, 29.03.2024, 03:29

Honor to Serve Riga fails to agree on candidate for Riga mayor

BC, Riga, 28.05.2019.Print version
The board of Honor to Serve Riga (GKR) was today unable to reach an agreement on a candidate for the next mayor of Riga, informed LETA/BNS.

The GKR group on the Riga City Council have proposed councilman Dainis Turlais for the mayoral office and are standing by this candidate.


GKR members debated the issue behind closed doors for nearly two hours. As LETA found out, some GKR members insisted on nominating acting mayor Olegs Burovs, emphasizing his contribution to the city council’s work and ability to “take responsibility in tough times for the city”.


Meanwhile, other party members rallied behind Turlais, urging to accept the GKR group’s decision and arguing that politically Turlais would be a more suitable candidate, while Burovs could carry on in the role of vice mayor.


Burovs himself said that he could work more productively as the city’s vice mayor and that it was his personal decision not to run for Riga mayor.


Several GKR leaders noted that most members of the city council’s Harmony group had promised to endorse a candidate nominated by GKR.


GKR chairman Andris Ameriks eventually announced a break in the the board meeting until Wednesday when the party is expected to agree on whom to nominate for Riga mayor.


Turlais chairs the Riga City Council Security, Public Order and Corruption Prevention Committee.


GKR said already last week they would propose a GKR member for the capital city’s next mayor as the party is “ready to take initiative and run the city until the 2021 local elections.”


As reported, GKR would not support a possible candidate nominated by Harmony.

Meanwhile, there is no unanimity among Harmony members on this matter, with some councilors ready to back a GKR candidate and others not.







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