RIGA -- The parties forming the Latvian government coalition have agreed to nominate the current vice president of the Bank of Latvia, Santa Purgaile, as a candidate for the Bank of Latvia president, Edmunds Jurevics, head of the New Unity faction in the Saeima, told LETA.
According to him, Purgaile has the conceptual support of the Saeima factions of the parties forming the government.
The coalition partners believe that Purgaile meets all the criteria set, with particular emphasis on her impeccable reputation and ability to fulfil her duties in full capacity from her first day in the office, both at the Bank of Latvia and in representing Latvia in the European Central Bank, according to a joint statement by the New Unity, the Union of Greens and Farmers and Progressives parties.
Andris Suvajevs, co-chairman of Progressives, told LETA that it was important for the party to agree on a candidate in the coalition who was equal to former Bank of Latvia President Martins Kazaks.
Purgaile's past experience and qualifications show that she will be a very good head of the Bank of Latvia, Suvajevs said. Purgaile meets all the criteria set by the coalition and the Bank of Latvia Law, the party leader stressed, admitting that Purgaile will be compared to Kazaks.
"Progressives can support Purgaile with a clear conscience", Suvajevs said.
As Harijs Rokpelnis, the head of the Union Green and Farmers faction in the Saeima, told LETA, Purgaile meets all the criteria set by the coalition. Purgaile also meets the issues that are important for Greens/Farmers and that concern the development of credit unions in Latvia.
Rokpelnis stressed that the previous President of the Bank of Latvia, Martins Kazaks, had a different view on credit unions from Purgaile.
Purgaile holds a Master's degree in International Economics and Business. She has extensive experience in the financial sector, having served as the chair of the Financial and Capital Markets Commission from 2019 to 2022 and held various senior positions in the banking sector, Jurevics noted.
The coalition partners plan to meet Purgaile again on Monday, January 27, at a coalition cooperation meeting to formally nominate her, as well as to give Purgaile the opportunity to present her vision for the future of the Bank of Latvia to the media and answer questions.
After the official nomination, Purgaile will meet with all the parliamentary groups.
As reported, on Thursday, the opposition United List and the National Alliance submitted an official application to the Saeima presidium, nominating Martins Kazaks for the post of President of the Bank of Latvia.
In a statement to the media, the National Alliance and the United List said that they also called on all parties represented in the Saeima to support Kazaks' candidacy.
President Edgars Rinkevics said earlier that he expects clarity on the issue of the President of the Bank of Latvia this week, reminding that the candidate will still have to obtain security clearance, which will take time. Currently, the parties forming the coalition have not agreed on a single candidate for the Bank of Latvia president.
New candidates for the post of President of the Bank of Latvia can be nominated until January 31.
As reported, the nominations for the president of the Bank of Latvia have to be put forward by the MPs, as Kazak's first term of office expired on December 21 last year and the Saeima has not elected a new president. The duties of the president of the Bank of Latvia are performed by vice president Maris Kalis until a new president is elected.
2025 © The Baltic Times /Cookies Policy Privacy Policy