Elections, EU – Baltic States, Latvia

However, the current Riga City Council will continue to work until the day after the bill comes into force. President Egils Levits now has ten days to promulgate the bill.

Even though during the first reading the bill just barely passed, as only four of the five government coalition parties support the bill, this time the bill passed with relatively strong majority - 62 MPs for, and 22 MPs against.

Four MPs from the Union of Greens and Farmers did not participate in the vote, while Harmony MPs voted against, as well as several MPs not affiliated with any Saeima group.

Once the Riga City Council is dismissed, an interim administrator will be appointed until the emergency elections - Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry State Secretary Edvins Balsevics. The deputy interim administrator will be the head of the Finance Ministry's Legal Department Artis Lapins, as well as deputy head of the Justice Ministry's Legal Department Aleksejs Remesovs.

As the temporary administration does not intend to set up committees, responsibilities will be divided among the members of the interim administration.

According to law, emergency municipal elections must be organized within two months since the respective local government id dismissed, and it is planned that the emergency Riga elections will be held on April 25.

The Central Election Commission informs that the cost to organize the emergency elections could reach EUR 581,582.