Employers' Confederation head Kaspars Gorkšs put forward as State Chancellery director
A single candidate, Kaspars Gorkšs, has been selected in the competition for director of Latvia's State Chancellery. Coalition partners have not yet given their final word, and details of the selection process are restricted.
A competition for the post of director of the State Chancellery in Latvia has ended with one candidate chosen as the best: Kaspars Gorkšs, director general of the Latvian Employers' Confederation. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, of the party "Apvienotais saraksts" (United List), is putting him forward for confirmation in the job. The State Chancellery is the body that supports the work of the government and of public administration, so the choice of its head affects how the whole state administration operates.
Coalition has not decided
The coalition partners have so far not announced their final position. The public also does not know why Gorkšs was judged the strongest candidate. It has turned out that everything discussed during the selection process is restricted-access information, so the reasoning cannot be checked publicly.
Debate on reform
The appointment was discussed on the LSM programme "Kas notiek Latvijā?" (What's Happening in Latvia?). Participants looked at what the State Chancellery director should do and what changes public administration needs. The discussion's headline also pointed to Gorkšs's "pillars", an inefficient daily routine, and the question of how much room the prime minister gives the official to act.
The next question is whether the coalition partners will back the prime minister's choice and whether the selection criteria will become known to the wider public.
