President issues ultimatum to Parliament

Jan 14, 2009
TBT Staff

RIGA – Latvian President Valdis Zatlers has issued an ultimatum to the parliament, saying he will dissolve the legislature if does not agree to a series of constitutional amendments that would give the people more control over the government.

Zatlers issued the ultimatum in response to the riots that tore through Riga’s OldTown on Tuesday, leaving numerous rioters and police officers injured and causing thousands of euros in damages. The riots followed a massive protest calling for the dissolution of Parliament.

"The main thing right now is to look at the reasons as to why people gathered in Dome Square to express their views. The main reason is that trust in the government and in government officials has collapsed catastrophically. The Saeima (Latvian parliament) and the Cabinet of Ministers have lost links with the voters. I have said on several occasions in the past that trust can be regained only if specific things are done," Zatlers said.

The president said that Parliament would have until March 31 to appease three of his demands. He said the demands were formed in response to the people’s lack of confidence in the government.

The first demand was that the parliament passes amendments to the constitution giving people the right to directly dissolve the legislature. He said that he would submit the final version of his proposals – which would make Latvia the only country in the EU where people could directly dissolve parliament – within one week.

The second demand was that Parliament amend the law on elections to eliminate the practice of election tickets being headed by a single figurehead and to outlaw the practice of Parliamentarians switching parties between elections.

The third demand was for the parliament to create a supervisory board to oversee the country’s economic recovery plan and the spending of the 7.5 billion euro loan recently secured by the country.

The president also said that the government needs to submit a reorganization plan within one week and called for the creation of a “reconciliation government.” He demanded that the government appoint a new head to the anti-corruption bureau – which has gone without leadership for months – as soon as possible.

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