Latvian president’s proposal – to extend the requirement to acquire access to official secrets for the leadership of local governments – is so logical, self-explanatory and effective that the only reaction to this truth is this: “Where have you been this whole time, Mr. Rinkēvičs?”
The interesting part is how the Saeima will react to such a proposal from the government, especially in the context of the existing geopolitical situation and planning of national and civil security. It’s unlikely the enthusiasm from legislators will be genuine, because parties already have to consider how much such a requirement could impact the positions of their politicians in municipal councils.
But it is unlikely any of them – both parties part of the government and those hoping to return – will risk sabotaging the president’s proposal. Especially considering his popularity and their modest ratings. This is why the festive season, after which President Edgars Rinkēvičs promises to submit his initiative to the parliament for review – is definitely ruined for many parties.
This is a sort of an example of black humour,
because the president informed representatives of the media with Saeima speaker Daiga Mieriņa present. Her party – Union of Greens and Farmers – currently includes members, as well as long-time “rulers” of certain municipalities, that are very likely to be rejected by the Constitution Protection Bureau if they ever requested permission to access official secrets.
This way the president has once again shut the mouths of naysayers [this article’s author included] about the close ties between New Unity and Union of Greens and Farmers and the latter’s role in his election as president. At the same time, it is now clear that
Rinkēvičs’ proposal will not improve relations between the two government partners,
because the “green farmers” that have their roots planted deeply in local governments will see this as a stab in the back.
And let’s not forget that the reason for refusal to be provided with access to official secrets could be not only their close ties to Aivars Lembergs [his service, more like], who is a politician under US sanctions, accused of severe crimes of corruption, and who continues spreading statements with questionable effect on international relations. This means the head of Ventspils City Council Jānis Vītoliņš might be in trouble.
In order for an official not to receive a permit for state secrecy, it is enough to have such “trivialities” as facts found during the inspection, “that put into question the person’s reliability and ability to keep official secrets a secret, which means the issuance of a special permit would not be in the interest of national security”. Aside from that, access to official secrets can be denied to a person “suffering from psychological and behavioural problems, including problems caused by abuse of alcohol, narcotic, psychotropic or toxic substances”.
If Saeima approves these conditions, it may turn out that they are aimed not only against some of the “black sheep” of Latvian politics that immediately pop into your mind.
These include former Harmony members – the recently dismissed head of Rezekne City Council Aleksandrs Bartaševičs and the now mostly quiet head of Daugavpilc City Council Andrejs Elksniņš. It’s also possible that the former head of Jurmala City Council Gatis Truksnis, who promised to return in 2025, may be among the “undesirables” the president wants to keep away from governing positions.
But they are just the “tip of the iceberg”.
But what if the chairman of Ogre City Council Egils Helmanis from the National Alliance ends up in the cross-fire? His biography contains certain odd and uncomfortable details for a member of the National Alliance. So what if other pillars of municipal parties fail the inspection because of the lack of “flexibility” of the Constitution Protection Bureau? If this happens, does this mean that some municipalities could “lose their heads”?
Rinkēvičs’ proposal may cause an earthquake in Latvia’s politics. But we need it. The 24th of February 2022 created a more than legitimate basis for such a filtering of municipal politicians. Just like the bloody 13th of January 1991 in Vilnius created a reason to deny former Communists, KGB members and their associates the right to work in the government in Latvia.
Also read: There are many needs, but the budget cannot satisfy all of them, says Latvian PM
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