On Thursday, 15 September, the Latvian parliament decided to suspend deputy Aldis Gobzems from six meetings of the Saeima for breaching the of code of ethics.
The decision was submitted to the Saeima by the Mandates, Ethics and Submissions Committee. According to members of the committee, Gobzems has breached articles 5, 6, 7 and 17 of the Code of Ethics for Saeima deputies.
These articles state that the Saeima deputy is to comply with the Constitution, Rules of Order of Saeima and other binding regulations; is to avoid words, gestures and other behaviour that may be offensive, or use statements that are offensive and inappropriate for a member of the Saeima; is to base his or her opinions on facts, their honest interpretation and arguments. The deputy is to be polite towards employees of the Saeima and other municipal institutions, as well as every member of society.
According to the committee’s report, on 8 June during a meeting of the Saeima,
Gobzems yelled at his fellow Saeima deputy Sandis Riekstiņš, telling him «Riekstiņš, listen for once». Gobzems also called him a cretin and used other insults.
Saeima speaker Ināra Mūrniece had also warned Gobzems about his inappropriate behaviour during that meeting.