Citskovskis: Lack of Civil Service Experience Could Also Be an Advantage for Gorkšs

The lack of experience in the civil service that Kaspars Gorkšs is being criticised for may also work in his favour. This was said by Jānis Citskovskis, former director of Latvia's State Chancellery, on the TV24 programme “Kārtības rullis”. The State Chancellery is the institution that supports the organisation of the government's work, and Citskovskis headed it from 2017 to 2024. According to the source, Gorkšs is his successor in the post.

Assessment of the lack of experience

Citskovskis said the matter can be viewed in two ways. In his opinion, the fact that Gorkšs has no civil service experience, which is held against him, is both a drawback and a plus. He wished his successor luck, saying “Let him succeed!”.

He also suggested that Gorkšs would be able to work very well with Andris Kulbergs, describing them as people “on the same note, on the same wavelength”.

Experience with selection competitions

Citskovskis noted that he had personally run selection competitions for the heads of about 50 different institutions. For that reason he also assesses Gorkšs's appointment as someone who has organised such processes.

Recalling how he came to the post himself, he said he was invited to the Saeima faction of “Vienotība” (Unity). He named Solvita Āboltiņa, Laimdota Straujuma and Ilze Viņķele, and also recalled questions about values and about Aivars Lembergs. Citskovskis was nominated for the post by the then prime minister Māris Kučinskis of the ZZS.