Latvia’s parliament on Thursday restored the parliamentary mandates of former Prime Minister Evika Siliņa and former Justice Minister Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, both members of New Unity.
The Saeima also reinstated the parliamentary mandate of former Climate and Energy Minister Kaspars Melnis.
At the same time, lawmakers approved temporary parliamentary mandates for Inga Priede and Normunds Dzintars.
Political observers expect that Siliņa could soon be entrusted with leading the Saeima’s European Affairs Committee, which is currently chaired by Edmunds Cepurītis.
The Saeima also approved a number of changes to parliamentary committee memberships,
appointing and removing deputies from various committees.
Siliņa was elected to the Budget and Finance (Taxation) Committee, with 75 deputies voting in favor and one against. She was also elected to the European Affairs Committee, a decision supported by 81 lawmakers.
Meanwhile, Lībiņa-Egnere was appointed to the Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee and the Public Expenditure and Audit Committee.
Parliament also approved several changes involving other deputies. Raimonds Bergmanis was removed from the Citizenship, Migration and Social Cohesion Committee, Raivis Kalējs from the Education, Culture and Science Committee, Aiva Vīksna from the Sustainable Development Committee, and Juris Viļums from the Foreign Affairs Committee.
At the same time,
Bergmanis was elected to the National Security Committee,
while Kalējs joined the Foreign Affairs Committee. Vīksna was elected to the Public Expenditure and Audit Committee, and Viļums joined the Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee.
The Saeima also approved the appointment of Inga Priede to the Mandates, Ethics and Submissions Committee as well as the Education, Culture and Science Committee.
Deputy Ģirts Štekerhofs was elected to the Sustainable Development Committee.
Kaspars Melnis was elected to the Economic, Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Policy Committee and the Public Expenditure and Audit Committee.
Normunds Dzintars was appointed to both the Education, Culture and Science Committee and the Public Expenditure and Audit Committee.
Parliament additionally approved the appointment of Atis Labucis and Raimonds Čudars to the Public Administration and Local Government Committee.
These changes follow the formation of Latvia’s new government under Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs. As ministers from New Unity and former Prime Minister Siliņa returned to the Saeima, several lawmakers who had been serving on so-called “soft mandates” were required to vacate their seats, including Jānis Zariņš, Viesturs Zariņš, Gatis Liepiņš, and Ingrīda Circene.
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