After the second round of talks, Stack explained that APP had managed to agree on the implementation of the principle of proportionality with the New Conservative Party (NCP), as well as the National Union for All Latvia – For Fatherland and Freedom / LNNK and the Association of Latvian Regions (NA / LRA) list of politicians.
According to Stak, a good day has passed today, as three of the four factions of the “coalition for change” managed to agree on a certain principle of proportionality, which was the most important topic on Wednesday.
“This is not a question of positions, but how we move forward. Maintaining the principle of proportionality between us is critical,” the politician said, adding that with two factions on Friday, September 4, the APP could start the next round of talks, in terms of jobs and priorities. However, negotiations on the principles of co-operation with the JV are still ongoing, hoping that they will be able to start discussing priorities with them next week.
Stak stressed that APP considers the principle of proportionality to be the most fair, which the NA / LRA and JKP also agree with. “This still needs to be discussed with the JV,” the politician added, hoping that if three of the four factions agreed, a fourth would agree and be able to move forward.
Asked whether the disagreement between JV and APP was due to the number of positions or the importance of positions, Staķis replied that the goal is to create a strong “change coalition” of Riga City Council for 4.5 years.
“For this to happen, all four partners must be equally satisfied with the way we move forward, both in terms of responsibilities and priorities. Until we find a balance, we cannot move forward. This is a question of the sustainability of the coalition,” the politician said. that if someone wants a higher proportion, it can only happen at the expense of others, but APP does not want to allow it.
Asked whether this means that the APP, which will have the largest faction in the City Council and, in accordance with the principle of proportionality, the largest number of positions, is not ready to share one of the positions with future partners on behalf of the coalition, Staķis pointed out that he does not fight not only , because the stability of the coalition depends on it.
“We have to look at the results of the elections. It is the choice of Rigans about which parties and how many seats they have received. We also invite partners to that,” Staķis said, adding that he wants a broad “coalition of change” with four factions and 39 votes, promising to work on it for as long as it succeeds.
As reported, the newly formed coalition of the Riga City Council is still discussing two positions of vice mayors, according to what the party association Staķis said after the meeting with the politicians on the joint list of the NA / LRA.
Asked how many posts are currently “on the negotiating table,” Stak pointed out that there are eight committee chairmen, a mayor, and two vice-mayors. This means that the parties could share a total of 11 positions. The NA / LRA faction hopes that there will be two vice mayors in the council. The leader of the list, Einārs Cilinskis, told reporters that there had been no talks about one vice mayor position and that the idea of two vice mayors was still being maintained.
At the same time, the future coalition partners of the Riga City Council do not agree on increasing the number of committees in the municipality. The JV has proposed the creation of a separate Anti-Corruption Committee, increasing the number of committees to nine.
However, NA / LRA leader Cilinskis does not see the need to increase the municipal administration. The fight against corruption is important, but it would be enough if the anti-corruption commission headed by Cilinska was restored, the politician said. Representatives of the NA / RA pointed out that at present the council already has a committee dealing with anti-corruption issues and so is the Committee on Security, Order and Prevention of Corruption.
