Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies

Maris Sprindzuks.

Council members without pause held election of the new mayor, with the five coalition parties nominating Unity's Normunds Zviedris. Alliance of Regions nominated Sprindzuks, but with the five parties supporting Zviedris, Sprindzuks' bid was futile.

The motion to dump Sprindzuks had been submitted by Sprindzuks' deputy Karina Tinamagomedova (Harmony Center), i.e. his political allies had turned against him.

Sprindzuks explained that the ruling coalition had been pressing him into signing various contracts with the "right" companies, which he did not want to do and therefore began talks with the opposition Alliance of Regions on establishing a new coalition. This is the actual reason for the confidence vote, he explained.

According to Sprindzuks, the coalition wanted to set up an independent structural unit that would be responsible for municipal procurement matters, under which the council would sign contracts with companies that belong or formerly belonged to Adazi Region Council members. Sprindzuks said that this was unacceptable to him.