Latvian Political Monitor

From@VL_TBLNNK

NA will not participate in pre-election debates that take place in Russian! The state language must be the state language in essence, not just by law, including during the pre-election period. Currently, there are media outlets calling for debates in Russian. Moreover, there are parties that participate in them.

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From@AlvisHermanis1

In Latvia, political and business interests (including resellers and state money grabbers, who also call themselves businessmen here) are tangled in such fishing-line knots that it's impossible to untangle them. We need outsiders here who have nothing to do with the previous system and whose hands won't tremble when cutting it all open. I see that only the leadership of 'We Change the Rules' is like that. Everywhere else they are all from their camp, and change with them is impossible; we shouldn't fool ourselves about that. MMN

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From@VPPzinas

🇸🇴 Somali: I will go to Poland and destroy their ethnic structure. “I will make a million children there” Somali video calls other Africans to join the attack on Europe. As is known, migrants in Europe massively rape European women. https://t.co/8GppijSt0g

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From@Prusis

Latvia is unique in a way - in one state 'monopoly enterprise' both state oversight functions such as driver exams, registries, tax and fine collection, and commercial services such as technical inspection and license plate production are combined. Although it did not promote competition, it was once emphasized that CSDD as a state capital company monopoly would not require control as elsewhere in the EU for services to comply with vehicle technical inspection criteria. True, there is no significant difference in accidents caused by technically damaged cars or in the legitimacy of taking exams between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Technical defects of vehicles in all Baltic states cause only a few % of all serious accidents. Although private driving accompanied by parents is more common and legally simpler in neighboring countries, the percentage of passing the practical exam on the first attempt there is similar to Latvia. From a competition point of view, such a model is an exception in the Baltic and Nordic region, as the Competition Council has repeatedly pointed out. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport and CSDD maintained 'high quality, a unified standard and corruption prevention' as the main argument for not opening the market. It was also mentioned that this allows faster and more efficient implementation of innovations and digital tools. Similar to Estonia and Lithuania, CSDD also implements road safety campaigns, for which ~400,000 € per year is allocated; most of the funding is directed to outdoor advertising and TV. However, in neighboring countries they have almost completely abandoned outdoor advertising along roads. In Lithuania and Estonia, campaigns are considered an educational supplement and synchronized with infrastructure improvements. Comparing the number of fatalities, Estonia and Lithuania have better statistics. Particular progress is visible in Lithuania, which is associated with the reconstruction of dangerous intersections and the introduction of automated control tools. The total registration and inspection fee in the Baltics is comparable, but tax policy differs. For example, in Lithuania individuals have no annual tax, while in Latvia and Estonia a road tax must be paid every year. In Estonia it is collected by the tax service, in Latvia through the CSDD network. The free market in Lithuania provides the lowest service costs, while Estonia stands out with the most effective campaigns. Almost twice fewer fatalities on the roads than in Latvia. But it's not that we lag everywhere. The maintenance of senior management costs Latvian taxpayers the most, and in this regard we are leaders. We have the most paid managers - both the board and the council. The state capital company's turnover in 2024 was 62.87 million €, but net profit 2.67 million €. Board and council remuneration costs reached 625,095 €, which is 0.99% of the company's annual turnover and 23.4% of net profit, not counting transport and other administrative support costs. Lithuania lags behind in management costs, while the most modest are the Estonians, where the industry is led by a general director without a council.

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