Usakovs to be Riga mayor

  • 2009-06-18
  • By Kate McIntosh

RIGA - Political style rather than a major policy shift are expected to be a stand-out feature of the new-look Riga City Council headed by Harmony Center's Nils Usakovs, say analysts.
Usakovs is set to be sworn in as Riga's mayor, following a dramatic voter swing at the June 6 elections.

Ainars Slesers of Latvia's First Party/Latvia's Way (LPP/LC) is nominated as the sole candidate for the deputy mayor's position which will be voted on by the newly-elected city council members at their first official meeting on July 1.
 Director of Market and Social Research Centre  SKDS, Arnis Kaktins said the new municipality line up brings with them a different brand of leadership style.
"I suspect that we will not see significant and substantial changes in policy, the changes will be related to the style of work," he said.

"If we look to the personalities that will now be in power, in particular Slesers…that his previous track record of being able to do what he plans to do goes in contrast to other politicians in Latvia, then yes we can say the change will in essence be in style," he said.
As mayor of Riga Usakovs will be primarily responsible for social matters, while Slesers will oversee management of economic matters.

At a June 15 press conference announcing the power sharing deal, both Usakovs and Slesers said they planned to significantly slash the administrative apparatus of the local government.
"It will not be possible to reduce the social budget, therefore we will have to look for other ways how to make savings," Usakovs told media.
Warning of a "long winter ahead" Usakovs said the new city council was prepared to tackle the crisis head on.

WINDS OF CHANGE

In a historic shift center-left party Harmony Center (SC), which represents Russian minority interests, swept to power, after winning more than 34 percent of the popular vote.
More than half of previous Riga City Council members failed to get re-elected 's a result analysts claim is voter payback over the country's ongoing economic squeeze.

Kaktins said the election results meant SC would be a dominant political force in Riga's municipality government. He said it was likely the new ruling coalition would also herald a softening of attitudes towards Latvia's Russian speaking population.
Both SC and LPP/LC will form a majority, winning a combined 38 seats out of a possible 60.
At the time The Baltic Times went to press no jobs at the city council had been offered to representatives from opposition parties.