Candidate Sabīne Atmata: regions need conditions where staying is worthwhile

Twenty-two candidates running in the Zemgale constituency for the 15th Saeima have listed Bauska municipality as their place of residence. One of them is Sabīne Atmata, running third on the list of the «Mēs mainām noteikumus» party — the only candidate from that party based in Bauska municipality.

Born in 1998, Atmata graduated from the University of Latvia this year with a teaching qualification and works as a teacher at Bauska Secondary School No. 2. She also holds a stake in the company Slow Journey Travel. This is her first time running for the Saeima; she says she decided to enter politics because the party's platform matches her view of the changes needed in how the state administration operates.

Priorities

Her top stated priority is reforming public administration, arguing that under the current system many officials are often involved in a single decision, yet it becomes difficult to identify who is actually accountable. Healthcare access is another key concern — she notes that residents of Bauska municipality, especially seniors, often must travel to Jelgava or Riga for medical help. On business policy, she favors simpler requirements and tax rules that would let small companies establish themselves and grow outside Riga.

Local issues in Bauska municipality

Among the top local priorities, Atmata names continued progress on the A7 highway and the Bauska bypass, job creation in the municipality, and preserving the local school network. She argues that closing a small school can be a decisive factor in whether young families choose to settle in an area, so decisions about schools should weigh their role in a territory's future, not just costs.

Atmata sees jobs, education, healthcare, housing and transport as interconnected conditions for regional viability, and hopes that within four years keeping people outside the capital will be a less pressing issue.