On Thursday, 13 October, the Saeima supported in the second reading amendments to the Election to the European Parliament Law. These amendments may prevent MEP Tatyana Zhdanok from being reelected as Latvia’s representative to the European Parliament.
64 deputies voted in favour, 17 deputies voted against (15 members of Harmony, except for Inga Goldberga and Nikolajs Kabanovs and two non-faction deputies Ļubova Švecova and Ainārs Vilciņš).
It is also planned to list in the law that it is not allowed to pick a person who served in the Soviet Union’s Communist Party (Latvian Communist Party) after 13 January 1991 as a candidate for elections to the European Parliament.
For amendment to come into force, they have to be passed by the Saeima in the final reading.
The proposal was submitted by Saeima deputy Aleksandrs Kiršteins. Saeima deputy Jānis Iesalnieks previously mentioned this proposal would prevent Zhdanok from running in European Parliament elections.
The Supreme Court previously found that after 13 January 1991, Zhdanok remained a member of the Communist Party in Latvia.
In accordance with the full supported proposal it is planned to outline in the law that for European Parliament elections in Latvia that it is not allowed to elect citizens of the European Parliament who had previously served in KGB of the USSR, Latvian Soviet Republic, their intelligence or counter-intelligence services (except for people who worked in KGB branches of the USSR or Latvian Soviet Republic in planning, financing, administrative positions), as well as persons who were members of Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Latvian USSR Workers’ International Front, Joint Council of Workers’ Collectives, War and Labour Veterans Organisation, Committee for the Rescue of the All-Latvian Society or their regional committees.