Latvian lawyer backs idea of letting State Audit Office review Saeima's finances

On TV24's program "Ziņu TOP," Riga City Council deputy, sworn attorney and 15th Saeima candidate for the LPV party Ringolds Balodis expressed support for expanding the State Audit Office's powers to allow it to review the Saeima's operations. In his view, such oversight could be useful, for example, in assessing the costs of parliament building renovations and other economic expenditures. Balodis stressed that an efficiency review would matter more than a purely formal audit.

However, the politician voiced skepticism about whether the relevant amendment to the State Audit Office law would actually be carried through to completion. He drew on his experience in the 12th Saeima, when similar proposals often stalled partway through the process. Balodis suggested the amendment might pass two readings, but its further fate would depend on whether the next Saeima's responsible committee decides to advance it to the final reading.

Pre-election "theater"

The show's host suggested that such behavior could be intended to mislead voters — creating the impression of a desire to change the system while no real adoption is actually planned. An expert invited to the program agreed with this assessment.

Balodis noted that during the pre-election period, the Saeima increasingly sees proposals whose practical progress is questionable. In his words, what is currently happening is largely not a genuine legislative process but rather parties demonstrating their positions to voters. He stated that political activity in the Saeima and government during the pre-election period mostly becomes public positioning, even though some of the matters being addressed may genuinely be necessary. Balodis described this as a largely unavoidable phenomenon, since voters will soon be heading to the polls.