«I resign because it’s not possible to work as minister of the interior without support from the prime minister. But now is not the time to leave for the party to leave the party in an attempt at vengeance. Cooperation will continue,» said Latvia’s Minister of the Interior Marija Golubeva in her resignation announcement on Monday, 16 May.
«We will decide on future cooperation – both with National Alliance and others, the PM included. This does not mean we are prepared to become people who intend to destabilize the government,» Golubeva said at a press-conference.
When asked if Attīstībai/Par! intends to remain in the government, she said that
it is necessary to wait for the party’s official statement after talk with the coalition, which have already begun.
«I don’t think AP plans to go with ‘an eye for an eye’ response, to satisfy revenge wars, but I do think not all ministers have worked equally well in this government so far. Voters will be able to discuss just that very soon,» said Golubeva, stressing that the government has increased wages for police officers, border guards and fire fighters. «I don’t think I should be ashamed of the work that I’ve done in the Ministry of the Interior.»
BNN previously reported that the Saeima faction of the National Alliance and the party’s board have decided to request PM Krišjānis Kariņš to dismiss Marija Golubeva from her post over the situation surrounding the Soviet monument in Pārdaugava.
NA stated in its announcement – if the prime minister and partners of the coalition do not take into account the opinion of the party, its board will see no reason to continue working in this government and will likely pull out its own minister.
«What every loyal Latvian person was forced to experience in their country on 9th and 10th of May is unacceptable. We cannot accept this an everyday occurrence for which politicians try to avoid responsibility by using symbolic criticisms and promises to do better in the future,» said the head of NA and chairman of the party’s Saeima faction Raivis Dzintars.
The politician says Latvia must do everything to make sure this situation never repeats.
As previously reported, in spite of invitations to commemorate victims of war in Ukraine on 9 May and not come to Soviet memorials, people in Riga still came to the monument complex in Pārdaugava. Still, authorities report there were significantly fewer people than there were in previous years.
Flowers that were brought by residents on 9 May were removed from the monument the next morning, which caused people to come back and bring more flowers.
According to police reports, some of the people who stayed at the monument closer to the evening acted aggressively and arrogantly, voicing slogans in support of Russia and glorifying its invasion of Ukraine. Police admit being caught unprepared by what happened on 10 May, stressing, however, that in the end crowding was prevented and perpetrators – detained.
After events of the start of the week police closed down access to the monument located in Victory Park.
Golubeva, commenting on the situation surrounding Victory park, announced that those who glorified military aggression or used symbols associated with military aggression are detained, including one youngster with a Russian flag. «Police defended the rights of Latvian citizens and used force when it was necessary,» stressed the politician.
Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš had presented Golubeva with multiple tasks, including the preparation and presentation to the government an accurate evaluation of state institutions’ actions and planning to ensure public order, according to the statement released by the prime minister’s office after events of 9th and 10th May in Victory Park.