Jurmala City Council members on Sept. 7 elected Raimonds Munkevics (Jurmala - Our Home) as the new mayor of Latvian seaside resort city Jurmala. The decision was made after nine out of 15 council members voted for Munkevics.
Another candidate for the mayor's position was the just dismissed mayor Inese Aizstrauta, but she was supported only by six lawmakers.
Lawmakers had also named Aigars Tampe from For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK (TB/LNNK) and Dainis Urbanovics from the Latvian Social Democratic Workers Party (LSDSP) as possible candidates for the position, but they recalled their candidacies.
After the vote, Munkevics thanked the lawmakers for their trust and promised to live up to their expectations. "Today emotions were high, but I hope that we will be able to join in common work for the good of the people," said the new mayor.
Later Munkevics told the press that he does not expect any major cooperation problems within the council, as the council has to solve mainly economic not political issues.
Asked how he plans to solve those problems that Aizstrauta, in his words, has not solved, Munkevics hesitated with an answer. He said that these problems have not been solved at all earlier, for example, housing development program had been approved, but not implemented.
Munkevics also said that soon he would propose dismissal of vice mayor Urbanovics, suggesting Janis Kuzins from Motherland alliance as a better candidate for the position.
Jurmala lawmakers on Thursday dismissed the city mayor Aizstrauta after hour and a half long debates. The decision was made with nine votes to six.
Aizstrauta's dismissal was proposed by Munkevics. He said that the council's performance in the lead of Aizstrauta had not been constructive and objective, and development strategy in business and employment fields had not been implemented.
