Kalviņš asks to be removed as president of Latvian Academy of Sciences

Ivars Kalviņš, president of the Latvian Academy of Sciences (LZA), has asked the academy's Senate to remove him from the post. He told the newspaper "Latvijas Avīze" about the request. The matter is expected to be considered at the LZA plenary meeting on 26 November. The step is tied to the controversy surrounding the granting of Latvian citizenship to Indian national Divya Vishvanata, whose application Kalviņš had recommended.

"I have submitted a request to the Senate to include on the plenary agenda the question of my removal from the post of LZA president," Kalviņš said. In an earlier open letter to the public, he had stated that he was considering leaving the position.

How the situation developed

On 15 October, the Saeima, Latvia's parliament, decided to grant Vishvanata Latvian citizenship for special merits. Those merits were set out in recommendation letters from Kalviņš and LZA Secretary General Baiba Rivža. On 22 October, however, lawmakers revoked that decision before it took effect. This followed doubts raised publicly about Vishvanata's education, scientific publications and the grounds for granting citizenship. The Prosecutor's Office has also started a review of the citizenship case.

The portal "lasi.lv" reports that Rivža, who submitted a letter of support for Vishvanata's citizenship, had earlier also said she might resign.

Plans for the plenary meeting

The LZA annual autumn plenary meeting will take place on 26 November. It is scheduled to include elections of new academy members and a tribute to academician Jānis Gardovskis, laureate of the LZA Grand Medal, along with his lecture "Surgery – Science, Art and Responsibility". Kalviņš is also due to deliver an address. The Senate has yet to decide whether to include the question of the president's removal on the agenda.