Riga Vice Mayor Edvards Ratnieks Refuses Saeima Deputy Mandate
Vice Mayor of Riga Edvards Ratnieks has declined the opportunity to become a Saeima deputy, choosing to continue his work at the Riga City Council.
Edvards Ratnieks, the Vice Mayor of Riga and a member of the National Alliance (NA), has refused the so-called “soft” mandate to become a deputy of the Saeima. In a post on the microblogging platform X, he stated that his priority remains strengthening the security of Riga and its residents, including cooperation with Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava on immigration and civil protection issues. Ratnieks explained that while he received support from Riga voters in the 2022 Saeima elections, which would justify accepting the mandate, he also gained their trust as the NA mayoral candidate in last year's Riga City Council elections.
This refusal comes after several NA Saeima deputies became ministers, freeing up seats in parliament. Following the approval of Andris Kulbergs (AS) as a minister, the composition of the Saeima changed significantly. From NA, Ilze Indriksone became Minister of Education and Science, Jānis Dombrava became Minister of the Interior, Nauris Puntulis became Minister of Culture, and Jānis Vitenbergs became Minister of Climate and Energy.
Previously, Riga City Council deputy Ģirts Lapiņš (NA) also declined the “soft” mandate. On X, he wrote that after careful consideration, he would not accept the Saeima deputy mandate for the remaining four months of the parliamentary term. Lapiņš emphasized that security in Latvia and Riga is currently the most important issue, so he will continue to chair the Riga City Council's Security, Order and Corruption Prevention Committee and serve as an unsalaried advisor to Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava on civil protection.
Former Saeima deputy Jānis Iesalnieks also refused the offered mandate. This opened the way for Rūdolfs Kalvāns, former head of the General Education Department at the Ministry of Education and Science, but he too declined. The next candidate, Jānis Eglīts, deputy head of the NA Saulkrasti branch, accepted the mandate.
Meanwhile, the “soft” mandate was accepted by Normunds Dzintars, a teacher at Liepāja State 1st Gymnasium, and Arnolds Jātnieks, a deputy of the Bauska municipality council. Following Ratnieks' refusal, the next candidate for the parliamentary seat is Roberts Ķipurs, a history teacher at Riga State 1st Gymnasium and Riga Art and Media Technical School, board member of the Association of History and Social Science Teachers, and creator of the website “Latvijaspieminekli.lv”.
Ratnieks will continue his duties as Vice Mayor of Riga, focusing on security issues in the capital.
