Riga City Council faction of Par!/Progressive (PP) political parties has announced the decision to cease cooperation with For Latvia’s Development (LA) political party and its three representatives.
This announcement comes after the head of LA faction announced the decision that his faction refuses to continue working in the ruling coalition in Riga City Council.
Political partners in the coalition affirm that the ruling coalition in Riga City Council continues operating and it has support from at least 34 deputies.
After last year’s scandal involving Juris Pūce and parking permits, LA left the faction and instead signed a cooperation agreement with PP in the newly-formed coalition. LA continued working in the city council’s coalition with support from PP. Now this agreement is terminated, which means LA is to be excluded from Riga City Council’s ruling coalition, note members of PP faction.
According to the head of PP faction Mārtiņš Kossovičs, cooperation with LA went out the window the moment the Ministry of Environment Protection and Regional Development under Artūrs Toms Plešs decided to reject Riga’s city development plan.
«Plešs and LA were not shy to continue sabotaging the work of Riga City Council and putting obstacles in the way of financing Ukrainian support centre, which forced the prime minister to step in,» said Kossovičs.
At the same time, Riga City Council’s Education, Culture and Sports Committee member Agnese Logina stresses that the faction is also unhappy with Iveta Ratinīka’s leadership.
«At the beginning of the year funding for culture NGO was slowed. Due to unacceptable delays and lack of leadership, Riga was almost left without New Year’s festivities. The lack of planning for festivities in Riga was the last straw,» PP faction deputy comments on Ratinīka’s dismissal.
PP is the largest political faction in Riga City Council. The faction has 15 deputies, including mayor Mārtiņš Staķis and heads of three committees: Housing and Environment Committee chairperson Selīna Vancāne, Education, Culture and Sports Committee chairperson Laima Geikina and Social Affairs Committee chairman Viesturs Kleinbergs.