Saeima Presidium asks ethics review of MP Pagors over Russian-language video
The Presidium of Latvia's parliament has asked its Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee to open an ethics case against MP Andrejs Pagors, who posted a Russian-language video from the chamber on the first working day. The Presidium considers it contrary to his solemn oath and the code of ethics.
Saeima Speaker Edvards Smiltēns and the other members of the Saeima Presidium, the parliament's leadership body, have drawn up a submission to the Saeima's Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee. It asks the committee to open an ethics case over MP Andrejs Pagors communicating in Russian from the Saeima chamber. The matter concerns the first working day of the newly elected 15th Saeima.
What happened
On 3 November 2026, the first working day of the 15th Saeima, Pagors posted a video on TikTok in which he spoke in Russian about the agenda of the opening session. On the same day he took the solemn oath with the other deputies and received his mandate. The video is no longer available on his account, but copies are circulating on social media, the Saeima Press Service reports.
The Presidium's assessment
The Speaker and Presidium members consider the conduct contrary to the deputy's solemn oath, enshrined in Article 18 of the Satversme (Latvia's constitution), to strengthen Latvian as the sole official language. They also say it breaches Point 18 of the Code of Ethics for Saeima Deputies, annexed to the Saeima Rules of Procedure. That point obliges deputies to use the official language in Saeima premises, among themselves and in communication with Latvian society, and to avoid conduct that would cast doubt on the importance of Latvian.
Smiltēns stressed that Latvian is the foundation and value of the state and must be respected by every deputy, and that the oath carries both legal and moral weight. He said addressing the public in Russian from the chamber on the same day amounts to disrespecting the oath just taken, and promised not to leave such conduct unnoticed.
Next steps
Citing the third part of Article 179 of the Rules of Procedure, the submission asks the committee to assess Pagors's conduct and, if a violation is found, apply appropriate sanctions. The authors stress deputies' duty to uphold high standards of political culture and strengthen public trust in the Saeima.
The submission was prepared by Smiltēns, Deputy Speakers Ināra Mūrniece and Raimonds Vējonis, Saeima Secretary Ramona Petraviča and Deputy Secretary Antoņina Ņenaševa.
