Elections, Latvia, Legislation
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Tuesday, 16.04.2024, 21:11
President suspends legislative amendments, providing that Riga City Council can be elected for longer period in case of snap elections
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The draft legislation provides new rules for the situation where the existing city council is dissolved when its term ends in nine to 24 months. Under the proposed regulation, the term of the newly elected city council would include the remaining term of the dissolved council and the full four-year term of the new council.
The term of the current Riga City Council ends in more than nine months and less than 24 months, so the new provisions could be applied if the current city council is dissolved and new one elected.
The new regulation would allow to elect a new city council for a term of more than five years in case the current city council is dissolved and a snap municipal election held in the city.
The amendments to the Law on Local Governments and the Law on on Elections of the Republic City Council and Municipality Council that changed the regulation for snap municipal elections, were adopted on December 19 with support of four coalition parties, as well as independent MP Anda Caksa, as well as two MPs of KPV LV - Artuss Kaimins and Aldis Blumbergs.
The rest of the KPV LV group and opposition MPs voted against the amendments.
41 opposition lawmakers then turned to the president, asking to suspend promulgation of the bill.
The president thus has decided to suspend promulgation of the bill for two months.
Also, a group of 34 Saeima members have asked President Egils Levits not to promulgate bills providing for a dissolution of Riga City Council and to instead grant them an opportunity to collect signatures to invalidate the amendments allowing to elect the next city council for a more than five-year term.
Under the Latvian Constitution, within ten days of a bill's adoption by Saeima the president can return it to the parliament for a revision. The president can also delay the promulgation of a bill for two months, and he is obliged to do so if such a delay is demanded by at least one third of Saeima members. If at least 10 percent of the voting-age population sign a respective petition, such a delayed bill has to be put to a popular vote.
If the necessary number of signatures is not collected, the bill is promulgated.
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