Latvian Political Monitor

Due to an age restriction, CEC strikes Roze from JKP's Riga list.

🎾 Latvijas attīstībai - 11th list https://t.co/0qlsXGpHDZ

For anyone asking why @Progresivie is seemingly only now paying attention to Aven: a year ago, while still in the coalition, we already asked for explanations and action. Unfortunately, the prime minister and the interior minister only made excuses. What will Dombrava do? https://t.co/iDBigUFxts

🎾 "Latvijas attīstībai" continues the consolidation of universities, strengthening university councils as a real driver of change. We will advance a funding model that retains local talent. 🎓 We will ensure free master's and doctoral studies. We will increase the number of budget places in basic studies, mainly in STEM programs, where Latvia has the greatest need for specialists. 📈 We will support Riga's transformation into a Baltic center for studies, science and research. We will introduce strict monitoring of incoming students so that higher education truly serves the attraction of talent. 👍 We will develop a lifelong learning and retraining system with co-financing programs – companies will invest in employee skills, the state will support. 💯 This will give Latvia more qualified specialists, more innovation and a stronger economy. A place where talents will want to study, work and live. 🗳️ If you agree, vote for "Latvijas attīstībai", list 11, on October 3rd. More information https://t.co/6Ubw3PRqnq

During its work, the working group led by Jānis Endziņš has reached various interesting and useful conclusions that will help to organize the state administration, making it more efficient, as well as more friendly to citizens and business.

📍It is unclear why there is political opposition to transferring supervision of non-bank lenders to @LatvijasBanka; 📍Without changing the existing municipal financial equalization model, many municipalities will be in an unenviable situation https://t.co/AM0WrgEdMs via @YouTube

NGOs and State Money - Did you know that you have paid for the creation of an inclusive language guide for communicating with non-binary persons? Did you know that you continue to pay for integration courses for third-country nationals in Latvia? And podcasts on LGBTQ+ issues? Yes, these projects have been paid for by every taxpayer, whose money went to NGOs maintained from the state budget. There is an institution – the Society Integration Fund – which every year redistributes tens of millions of euros to various NGOs, which as interest-group-formed institutions represent public interests. I partly understand the purpose of NGO representatives’ activities, as these institutions fill a gap between public needs and state-provided services. However, their operations do not fit the norms of a democratic, free-market-driven, capitalist society. First, any organization maintained by taxpayer money is not and cannot be non-governmental. It is impossible to appeal to public interests based on one's own membership in them, to implement the desires of a narrow group with my and your money. This becomes a state-paid private hobby without a citizens' mandate. Second, the projects implemented by NGOs in most cases are policy-making with state money, distorting the proportion of representation of specific opinions in society. SIF supports diversity, inclusion, sexual diversity, etc., oriented projects that have nothing to do with the opinion of the majority of society. Quite the opposite. If specific societal groups want to see their interests realized, then that must be achieved through parties, to bring the idea to a politically elected institution. Third, in a capitalist society, the test of necessity for ideas represented by non-governmental organizations is donations and internal membership fees. That is, society knows how to self-organize, and the 'vote with the wallet' is the surest proof of the necessity of a specific function, service, or activity. Otherwise, any individual can appeal to the non-representation of their desires in political programs, declare themselves an NGO, and ask for money for reading newspapers, because that too is activism representing public interests. I, and I suspect you too, have not allowed your money to be spent on ideas that you may not even support. In my opinion, such breeding grounds must be eliminated!

@DDaicese @Progresivie We also asked almost a year ago - unfortunately then the responsible political officials did not want to evaluate anything. https://t.co/iDBigUFxts

Will there be enough courage to also address the influence network of a Russian billionaire in Latvia? Let's see. @Progresivie have sent a letter to J. Dombrava and the prime minister, asking whether serious checks will finally begin on potential efforts to influence the government in the Aven sanctions case. https://t.co/16kevNiLVM

Researchers do not need to worry about academic freedom. The state's task is to ensure that research money is used in the interests of development. Research for the sake of research, in my opinion, is not an appropriate use of money in the interests of the people. The discussion should not be perceived as a threat. https://t.co/lb8wvMzpU1

Two parties – ZZS and

The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of the Interior demand an audit of all projects funded by the Migration Fund. Together with Culture Minister Nauris Puntulis, we have appealed to the Audit Authority of the Ministry of Finance, calling for the audit to be extended to all projects of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund administered by the Ministry of Culture. The Audit Authority's current assessment has already identified violations and significant shortcomings in one of the projects. Therefore, we must ensure that similar problems do not exist in other projects.

In the Budget and Finance Committee we adopted a decision on the reallocation of funding to establish a specialized support center in Latvia for people who have suffered from sexual violence. This is a decision about human dignity, safety, and state responsibility. After experiencing violence, a person should not have to seek help alone from various institutions. Support must be available immediately, in one place, and professionally. In the new center, medical assistance, psychological support, and forensic medical examination will be available around the clock, while reducing the risk of re-traumatization. The first specialized support center will be established at Gaiļezers. The goal is to establish such centers elsewhere in Latvia in the future, so that the necessary support is available to everyone who needs it.