LPV warns of “systemic crisis” over energy prices, appeals to President Rinkēvičs
The Saeima faction “Latvia First” has sent a letter to President Edgars Rinkēvičs urging an emergency Cabinet meeting over sharply rising fuel and energy prices. The faction warns of a looming inflation wave and demands immediate state support for residents.
Linda Liepiņa, leader of the Saeima faction “Latvia First” (LPV), signed a letter to President Edgars Rinkēvičs on Thursday, September 17, calling for the use of constitutional mechanisms to convene an emergency Cabinet of Ministers meeting to address the country's energy crisis.
The letter states that Latvia has recently experienced a sharp and critical rise in fuel and energy prices, placing an unbearable financial burden on households, businesses, and especially the transport sector. LPV stresses that rising electricity, heating fuel, and fuel costs are directly eroding residents' purchasing power, increasing the price of goods, services, and public transport, and undermining the competitiveness of Latvian businesses in the region.
Rising costs of solid fuel and heating
The faction notes that prices for solid fuel — pellets, briquettes, and firewood — have also risen sharply. For example, the price of dry, split firewood for businesses this winter season will reach 100–130 euros per cubic meter plus VAT, compared to 80–100 euros last year. Overall, prices for all types of solid fuel used for heating private homes have risen by about 50%. At the same time, the heating tariff in Riga could rise by as much as 20–30% starting in December, while electricity costs also remain critically high.
Political deadlock and calls for action
LPV's letter notes that coalition parties are currently preoccupied with the pre-election fight for seats in the 15th Saeima and are unable to sit down and negotiate solutions to the escalating crisis. The faction warns that postponing the issue until after the elections would be dangerous, since after the new Saeima's first session in early November, coalition negotiations and government approval would take at least another month — meaning real action could be delayed until the heating season and winter frost.
The letter urges the president not to let the issue drift, regardless of external geopolitical factors driving up energy and fuel procurement prices on international markets. LPV calls for immediate, coordinated state involvement to prevent a looming social crisis, to transparently identify the true causes of the price increases, and to introduce effective state support mechanisms to protect residents and the economy. The letter also references a public transport protest against rising fuel prices that took place on September 16 as evidence of mounting public discontent.
