Parliament's presidium still in question

  • 2005-10-27
  • By TBT staff
RIGA - Latvia's ruling coalition has yet to decide who will fulfil the position of interior minister, along with other offices in Parliament's presidium and economic committee. So far, economic committee chairman Dzintars Jaundzeikars has been nominated to fill former Interior Minister Eriks Jekabsons' spot, after the latter resigned on Oct. 19.

Once Latvia's First Party restores an MP mandate to Jekabsons, his fellow party member, LPP faction chairman and Parliament presidium secretary Janis Smits will lose his mandate.

If Jaundzeikars is, indeed, appointed as the new interior minister, Smits will again become an MP.

In view of the given circumstances, Smits told the Baltic News Service that he may lose his party mandate, along with his presidium seat, at least for a few minutes. This gap, he added, could be used in attempts to alter the presidium's composition.