Latvian Political Monitor

In such an intense, sensitive pre-election period, the budget cannot be "opened up", says Andris Kulbergs, noting that "the system resists" and that it is not possible to review expenditures in detail within four months.

The Ministry of Education and Science will bring back full-fledged teaching of Latvian history as a separate school subject in the education content, strengthen choir singing traditions, and promote health literacy.

“Hopefully, Russia’s first strike will hit right in the lilac bush”: NA deputy candidate publishes scandalous post

This is the same Jānis Dombrava, whose National Alliance in the Riga City Council works hand in hand with these same Progressives. https://t.co/dlVbYuo4Rv

The state cannot be run like a company, whose main thing is profit, but the state has a social function, Kulbergs concludes after almost four months in the prime minister's post.

A political scientist suggested how the scandal around her father will affect Yulia Stepanenko's popularity.

“I am less conservative,” when asked whether, compared to his fellow “United List” colleagues, he is to be considered less conservative, admits Andris Kulbergs.

New Unity calls on the Prosecutor General to assess the activities of 'Suverēnā vara'.

“We are all together a party of economists, centrist-conservative,” says Andris Kulbergs, describing the ideology of the “United List”.

“I wouldn't say often,” asked how often he remains in the minority on the board of “Apvienotais saraksts,” says Andris Kulbergs, adding that there has been no need to use a veto. Being in opposition has apparently tempered “Apvienotais saraksts.”

LIVE. Interview before the 15th Saeima elections. 'United List' candidate for Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs: https://t.co/15lfclHY2B

Registered unemployment in Vidzeme is lower than the Latvian average: 4.1% versus 4.6%. People are working. However, last year the average gross wage in Vidzeme was €365 per month lower than in the country as a whole. That is why our goal is more well-paid jobs in the regions. For the UNITED LIST, the priorities are clear: security and the economy. A secure state gives entrepreneurs confidence to invest. Orderly state finances allow investment in development. Our task is to ensure that investment and better-paid jobs also reach Vidzeme and other Latvian regions. A person should not have to leave their municipality to receive decent pay for their work. 💶 Video: LTV Vidzeme leaders' debate “Choose the Future!” (24.09.)

Given that 1) SKDS ratings are used to allow or deny parties participation in certain debates (both in the so-called public and other media), 2) the decision to publish the ratings lies with LSM (as far as I know), 3) ratings influence people’s choices at elections, 4) ratings go stale by the day, if not by the hour, could LSM, upon the next publication of ratings, also, for the sake of transparency, indicate how many days they will have kept the candle under a bushel? This is a shamelessly rhetorical question intended to make LSM not delay once they have the data. Our party already has a court case with LSM. Unrelatedly, in one of the recent emails LSM sent us, they mention 28 September as the date of the ratings. I personally suspect the ratings will be ready sooner. It would not be nice if LSM arbitrarily delayed the publication of ratings at their own discretion, thereby engaging in influencing election results (however unpredictable the results of such dragging their feet might be, what matters is that LSM is not interfering here on its own part). It cannot be that LSM uses as a criterion an indicator whose becoming a fact is controlled by LSM itself, when it is precisely on the objectivity of this indicator that LSM appeals in court.

The possibility of suspending visa issuance to nationals of specific countries in the interests of public order and security “will have to be considered more broadly regarding other countries where various violations are also observed,” Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava (NA) said in an interview on “Rīta Panorāma”.

September 23 debate archive recording on Kurzeme Radio, where I represented @austsaule