Welfare Minister Uzulnieks reportedly caught driving with 3.09 permille blood alcohol level

Latvia's Welfare Minister Reinis Uzulnieks (ZZS) was stopped on Saturday, September 12, by municipal police in Ropaži municipality's Stopiņi parish while driving a Škoda under the influence of alcohol, the LETA news agency reported, citing confirmation from the State Police.

State Police were called to the scene after municipal officers detained the driver. A breath test showed a blood alcohol concentration of 3.09 permille. The State Police have launched a criminal investigation into the incident. According to Uzulnieks' official asset declaration, he owns a 2022-model Škoda Kodiaq.

Party's decision

Following news of the incident, the board of the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) held an emergency meeting and unanimously decided to remove Uzulnieks from his post as welfare minister and expel him from the party. Viktors Valainis, chairman of the Latvian Farmers' Union, part of the ZZS alliance, told LETA the decision was unanimous because the party has zero tolerance for such incidents. He noted, however, that Uzulnieks can still run in the upcoming election, as the party has no power to prevent that. ZZS said it would provide further details on Monday, September 14.

Career background

Uzulnieks was ZZS's top candidate on its Zemgale regional list for the parliamentary election scheduled this October. He began his career at the Welfare Ministry in 2014 as head of the office of then-minister Uldis Augulis, later serving as parliamentary secretary. In 2025 he took over as welfare minister after Augulis was dismissed, serving in Evika Siliņa's government, and in May 2026 was confirmed in the same post under Andris Kulbergs' government. Born in 1986 in Talsi, Uzulnieks studied at the Latvian Police Academy and the Turība Business School.

Under amendments to the Criminal Law in effect since November 2022, driving with a blood alcohol level above 1.5 permille is a criminal offense punishable by up to one year of imprisonment, probationary supervision, a five-year driving ban, and confiscation of the vehicle.