Opinion piece. Author: Ilona Bērziņa
Three of [Latvian Prime Minister] Evika Siliņa’s government’s ministers are running as candidates in the European Parliament elections. This does not inspire confidence in their intentions to fulfil the promises they gave their voters or any high ideal these people might have.
If you take charge over one sector or another, or even the weight of the country’s foreign affairs, then do just that – don’t toss your responsibilities away at the mere possibility of landing a warm seat in Brussels.
There were no illusions about Krišjānis Kariņš’s plans to run as candidate in European Parliament elections since the time he started shaking his own government in an attempts to pull the Union of Greens and Farmers and Progressives into it. Even at the time there were backstage rumours that he is tired of being the PM and would gladly go work in the European Parliament. All that’s left is to make it through winter until elections come so that people don’t forget about him. This is where the seat of the minister of foreign affairs becoming vacant due to Edgars Rinkēvičs having been elected President of Latvia served as a good stop. Fortunately, no one in New Unity questioned his fitness for the post.
The situation is slightly different for ZZS ministers. If memory serves, the teaser for the political thriller “ZZS Ministers Go to Work in the European Parliament” was unveiled some time before the party officially announced its Nr. 1 candidate – ZZS Saeima faction leader Harijs Rokpelnis. Not a month before it was predicted that Minister of Economy Viktors Valainis would be the leading candidate. The party planned to make of its ministers candidates in EP elections.
After ZZS’ press-conference held on the 24th of January, during which it was partially revealed which men and women would have the honour of running EP elections, I was slightly excited when I found no ministers among the nominees. And not because I don’t want them to get high wages paid to MEPs – nearly eight thousand euros after taxes, but rather because the minister’s job should be far more important to them than the comfortable chairs in Brussels. After all, Siliņa’s government is not trying to drive them out, and as stated on the website of the association of parties (LSDSP is ZZS’ other partner): “The Union of Greens and Farmers has provided E.Siliņa’s government with politically experienced industry professionals who are prepared to actively work to fulfil the promises listed in the government’s declaration to strengthen Latvia’s welfare.”
Of course, it is possible to improve Latvia’s welfare from the European Parliament.
But why did the party decide to have its ministers run as candidates for his noble cause? Moreover, why should it be the heads of such “heavy” ministries like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Welfare?
If rumours are to be believes, for New Unity it is a matter of dodging a massive inside scandal. This means they had no choice but to let Kariņš run as candidate, and this political organisation would not be the only one to exhale if he were to fade away somewhere in Brussels. So why did ZZS pick its own political “heavyweights” for public discussion?
To get votes, perhaps? In the middle of protests from farmers, it could work in Armands Krauze’s case. On the other hand – for Krauze this is an opportunity to meet with voters and voice a commitment to finally put an end to excessive bureaucracy and problematic general agriculture policy in Europe, which has been making life hard for farmers for years. For Uldis Augulis, who is openly proud of having managed “to implement the initiative on old age and disability pension bonuses in such a short period of time”, this is an opportunity to secure votes from pensioners.
But let’s put aside the candidates and their political parties’ chances in elections. There is a far more important “everyday” issue on the table –
just how are these three ministers planning to combine their duties in ministries with pre-election promotion activities, meetings with voters and all other activities related to these processes?
Take a vacation? Pretend to still be working? Or, as suggested by Viktors Valainis after a press-conference held on the 24th of January, will they use the start in EP elections to ensure ZZS cooperation in the Saeima and municipalities? Is the implication that if there are no elections, there is no cooperation? Additionally, if Viktors Valainis’ candidacy as the leader on the list of candidates was once considered but later rejected out of fear that if elected, LSU would be left without leadership, then why does the party have no concerns about what will happen to the productivity of the government’s work if both the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Welfare are elected to the EP? Or are both ministers actively and quietly preparing successors, showing them document and other “X-files”?
The pre-election promotion period before European Parliament elections will last between the 10th of February and the 8th of June. This means that in a four-month period the main objective of potential MEPs will be to stand out in this “beauty pageant”. In ministers’ case concerns are not just about diving head-deep in work, but also about the possibility of them using administrative resources for self-promotion. So it would be fair that if they decide to run for a seat in the European Parliament, ministers should extend their hand to their colleagues in the government, thank them for all the work and cooperation, and hand their seat to someone else willing to dedicate his or her efforts in Latvia’s best interests. I understand well enough that it is naive and foolish to hope for such people to act honestly.
In this context it is work looking back ten years in the past, when then the head of ZZS Saeima faction Augusts Brigmanis announced during the 2014 European Parliament elections that ZZS ministers will not run in EP elections because they have to work here. So what has changed in these ten years? But the reservists bench has shrunk to the size of a stool since then, no?
Also read: Nine out of 720 – Latvian political parties start officially suggesting candidates for EP elections
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