Mieriņa closes 14th Saeima's term: no politician is irreplaceable

Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, and a member of the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS), delivered her last address to the 14th Saeima on Thursday, closing the term of this parliamentary convocation. She called on deputies to keep respect for the Saeima and for democratic values, stressing that the state is always greater than any party, faction or convocation.

Four years in numbers

Mieriņa said the past four years had not been easy and had demanded a great deal of work, patience and compromise. Even so, she said, deputies managed to keep up a dialogue when their views differed.

She cited figures: the 14th Saeima held 219 sittings and 7,911 votes, adopted 1,060 laws, and its committees met 3,555 times. In her words, the Saeima is a mirror of society, in which it is clearest what Latvia has been and what it is.

Thanks and wishes

Mieriņa thanked deputies for their contribution to strengthening parliamentarism, democracy and the Latvian state. She said every member had left a mark over the four years, whether in adopted laws, initiatives or debates. In a democracy, she said, there are no small or large mandates, only the trust of voters, granted for a limited time.

To those deputies who will continue in the next convocation, she wished the ability to hear not only their own voters but also those who think differently, and to respect Saeima traditions and the people on whose behalf decisions are made.

Room for a new generation

Mieriņa noted that society is changing and a new generation, with its own outlook and expectations of politics, is knocking at the Saeima's door. Politicians, she said, must hear it and make room for young people. She stressed that no politician is irreplaceable: deputies serve in parliament for a limited time, while Latvia, democracy and the people for whom they work remain.

She ended by wishing deputies success in their political work and personal challenges. She quoted writer and lecturer Neale Donald Walsch, saying a true leader is not the one with the most followers but the one who creates the most leaders. She concluded with the words: "Long live Latvia!" (in Latvian, "Saules mūžu Latvijai!").