Latvija in brief - 2009-10-14

Oct 14, 2009

The People's Party board has convinced its founder and former leader Andris Skele to return to active politics. Skele and the party hope to be on the ticket for the 10th Saeima elections; he will be the party's candidate for prime minister, reports LETA. It was Skele's People's Party government, led by Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis, that created the policies and oversight that led Latvia into its current state of financial ruin. Chairwoman of Transparency International Latvia Lolita Cigane believes the return of Skele to politics indicates the "moral bankruptcy of the People's Party and also shows the government coalition party's vision of Latvia's future." She says that "Exploiting state power for personal gain, cronyism, manipulation of legal regulations, have significantly hampered the development of Latvia over the last ten years when Skele and the People's Party were… leaders of the country." Skele's recent statements regarding possible devaluation of the lats leaves the impression of the intention to use politics and the economic situation for personal gain, Cigane warns. People's Party Chairman Mareks Seglins commented that "This is not the time for lawyers, but for economists, and the party's leader must be a person who shows the way." Mr. Skele is not a trained economist, and in the words of Aleksandrs Popovics on sse.lt, Skele represents someone who believes they know about economic theory… but really know no more than does a titumbu tribe."

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