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Lawyers of the State Chancellery have analyzed the draft bill on dissolution of the Riga City Council Dismissal Law prepared by the Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry, and concluded that it infringes on voters' rights to choose their representatives. For the Cabinet to objectively assess the bill, it will also have to analyze its compliance with the principles of law, in particular the principles of equality and proportionality.

The bill's preamble does not sufficiently elaborate on the legal reasoning regarding the repeated violation of the Riga City Council. It does not provide an assessment of whether or not the current Riga City Council could, in accordance with the requirements of the applicable laws and regulations, solve problems concerning waste management functions in Riga, and whether this objective could be achieved in some other way, without dissolving the municipality, said the State Chancellery.

Likewise, the bill does not state whether and how a temporary administration will be able to solve waste management problems, which the current Riga City Council was unable to do and therefore is being dissolved.

The Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry's bill needs to be specified so it could be objectively assessed by the Cabinet of Ministers, points out the State Chancellery, adding that it would also like to hear the Riga City Council's opinion.

The government originally planned to review the bill on December 17.

As reported, the Environment Protection and Regional Development Ministry has decided to initiate dissolution of the Riga City Council because the local authority has repeatedly failed to fulfill one of its functions - to ensure waste management services.

Environment Protection and Regional Development Minister Juris Puce explained in a press conference on December 6 that the ministry had repeatedly pointed at the violations in provision of waste management services in the Latvian capital.

"In eight months, for a second time emergency situation has been declared and the local government has not fulfilled its function. Operations of the Riga City Council not only are illegal, but also do not meet interests of the society," the minister said.

The minister has demanded explanations from the Riga City Council on how it plans to solve the situation, but there had been no proper response. "Detecting threat to democracy and the rule of law, I have to react and prevent such threat," the minister explained his decision to initiate dissolution of the Riga City Council.

He said that the ministry has drawn up a bill on dissolution of the Riga City Council. The bill sets February 29, 2020, as the date for the snap elections of the new Riga City Council.