Riga City Council Welcomes 13 New Members, Including Baranņiks and Loginovs

The Riga City Council approved 13 new councillors at its session on Thursday, 5 November. They will take the seats of members who gave up their municipal mandates after being elected to the 15th Saeima, Latvia's parliament. Several of the newcomers are well-known figures whose names have previously surfaced in connection with scandals, court cases and controversial statements.

Best-known names

Leonīds Loginovs, the former head of the Freeport of Riga Authority, will represent the party Latvija pirmajā vietā (Latvia First, LPV). In 2020 the Riga Regional Court found him guilty of abuse of office and imposed a fine of 38,700 euros. The case concerned unlawful donations and bonus payments at the freeport authority.

Former deputy mayor Vadims Baraņņiks, previously one of the most prominent politicians of the party Saskaņa, is returning to the council. His name was linked to scandals at the municipal company Rīgas satiksme; in 2019 the TV3 programme "Nekā personīga" reported on his political responsibility for the company's management and procurement. Attention was also drawn to the association "9.maijs.lv", which he led and which had received funding from the Russian embassy over several years.

Normunds Grostiņš once worked as an assistant to former MEP Tatjana Ždanoka. In 2024 his remarks about Ukrainian refugees drew the attention of the State Security Service (VDD). In European Parliament election debates he urged checks on the health of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Latvia, claiming that tuberculosis and AIDS were widespread in Ukraine. The VDD said his statements matched traditional Russian propaganda narratives and did not promote social cohesion, but found no elements of a criminal offence.

Committee assignments

Committee roles for the new members were also set.

From the Progresīvie party, Igors Kļaviņš will serve on the Housing and Environment Committee and the Social Affairs Committee.

Five LPV members are joining. Vitālijs Orlovs will work on the Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Committee and the Social Affairs Committee. Loginovs was assigned to the Security, Order and Anti-Corruption Committee and the Public Space and Mobility Committee. Māris Ruks will serve on the Public Space and Mobility and Social Affairs committees, Karina Plaude on the Finance and Administration and Public Space and Mobility committees, and Māris Mežals on the Security, Order and Anti-Corruption and City Property committees.

Seven members come from the party Suverēnā vara and the alliance Jaunlatvieši. Eiženija Aldermane will serve on the Social Affairs and Security, Order and Anti-Corruption committees. Jānis Lauva will work on the City Property and City Development committees, Baraņņiks on the Public Space and Mobility and Finance and Administration committees, and Grostiņš on the Education, Culture, Sports and Youth and City Development committees. Anna Bondere joins the Housing and Environment and Finance and Administration committees, Nataļja Ļebedeva the Social Affairs and Education, Culture, Sports and Youth committees, and Deniss Gorba the Public Space and Mobility and Housing and Environment committees.