Over a million euros: what Saeima deputies receive compensation for
Deputies of Latvia's outgoing 14th Saeima were paid more than one million euros in fuel and housing rent compensation in under four years. The compensation system is now being debated, including within parliament itself.
Members of the outgoing 14th Saeima, Latvia's parliament, were paid more than one million euros in compensation for fuel costs and housing rent in less than four years. The question is whether these payments are a necessary condition for the Saeima to function fully, or an unjustified expense. The topic is examined in the latest episode of the programme "Keys" ("Кейс") from the Russian-language service of Latvian public media LSM.
The initiative and the debate
An initiative calling for the compensation to be abolished has gathered more than 10,000 signatures. The discussion about how the compensation system should work has also reached the parliament itself.
Questions the programme explores
The programme's makers look for answers to several questions: what the compensation is meant for, whether it is needed at all, whether the deputies themselves are ready to give it up, and what residents think about it.
The source does not give further details, such as the amounts paid to individual deputies or how the payments are calculated, so those matters are not covered here.
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