The ruling coalition in Latvia will not wait for the last day for proposals of candidates for the post of Governor of the Bank of Latvia, as journalists were told by Prime Minister Evika Siliņa after her meeting with President Edgars Rinkēvičs on Wednesday, the 15th of January.
The promised the coalition will decide on a single candidate as soon as possible, as there are multiple candidates under assessment at the moment. According to her, it is important to provide enough time for Saeima factions – position and opposition alike. Time also needed for the candidate to hold interviews with mass media representatives.
“This would be a good process. The budget is approved, and everyone has the time to fully address this issue. We are looking for a person able to taking this post immediately. We have come far with internal candidate evaluation processes,” said the PM.
In turn, the President of Latvia pointed out that such officials as, for example, the President of the Bank of Latvia, the Director of the Constitutional Protection Bureau, the Director of the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau or the Commander of the National Armed Forces must enjoy broader trust from the Saeima, not only in the ruling coalition.
“We are, however, talking about positions that affect the whole country. I would like to hope that the candidate will have broader support from the Saeima. I am critical of the fact that last December we did not reach the candidate for the post of the President of the Bank of Latvia. I want to hope that in the second act there will be a candidate who will also enjoy the trust of the public,” said Rinkēvičs.
He also emphasised that this process should not be dragged, because the country needs a President of the Bank of Latvia, who, among other things, participates in the meetings of the Council of the European Central Bank, addresses issues that are important for the economy and financial security.
LETA previously reported that in the internal negotiations regarding the candidates for the position of the President of the Bank of Latvia, none of the previous candidates are considered.
Last year there were three candidates: the now former President of the Bank of Latvia Mārtiņš Kazāks, “Altum” Board Chairman Reinis Bērziņš, and financier Pāvels Kuzmins.
A day before the vote, however, PM Evika Siliņa announced coalition members had decided to withdraw their candidates and that a new selection procedure would be announced to agree on a new candidate.
On Monday, the 13th of January, after the meeting of the ruling coalition, the PM said the issue with the election of the President of the Bank of Latvia was progressing very rapidly. “We have progressed in the Coalition with the candidates that we see internally that could be promoted,” said the PM, stressing – once clarity is achieved about a single candidate, a public announcement will be made.
Siliņa repeated the criteria set by the coalition for the nomination of a candidate. The candidate for the position of the President of the Bank of Latvia must have an impeccable reputation and a vision of new services in the field of finance that would rapidly contribute to the growth of the Latvian economy. The coalition candidate must be able to work immediately in the position of the President of the Bank of Latvia, representing Latvia both in domestic politics and the market, and representing the country internationally.