Most members of Riga City Council’s leadership saw their public approval ratings decline during the first half of this year, according to the latest survey conducted by research company SKDS on behalf of the Riga City Council.
Only three politicians improved their popularity in May compared with November last year.
The sharpest decline was recorded for Marta Kotello (Progressives), Chair of the Committee for Public Space and Mobility. Her approval rating dropped from 2.4 to minus 11.3, a fall of 13.7 points, making her the lowest-rated member of the city’s political leadership.
Support also declined significantly for Ģirts Lapiņš (National Alliance), Chair of the Committee on Security, Public Order and Corruption Prevention. His rating fell by 8.6 points to minus 6.6.
The third-largest drop was registered for Deputy Mayor Edvards Ratnieks (National Alliance), whose rating decreased by 7.1 points to minus 7.1.
Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs (Progressives) also experienced a decline, with his approval rating falling by 6.9 points to 2.2.
Chair of the Property Committee Dainis Locis (National Alliance) recorded a rating of minus 1.2, representing a decline of 3.7 points compared with last autumn.
The approval rating of Edgars Bergholcs (United List), Chair of the City Development Committee, fell from 2.6 to minus 1.0, a decrease of 3.6 points.
Elīna Treija (National Alliance), Chair of the Housing and Environment Committee, saw her rating decline by 1.1 points to 1.7.
Although Inese Andersone (New Unity), Chair of the Social Affairs Committee, maintained a positive approval rating of 1.9, her popularity also declined slightly by 0.7 points.
The biggest increase in popularity was recorded by Deputy Mayor Vilnis Ķirsis (New Unity), whose approval rating rose by 7.1 points to 2.0.
Deputy Mayor Māris Sprindžuks also improved his standing, gaining 3.3 points to reach 0.8.
The highest-rated member of the Riga City Council leadership remains Laima Geikina (New Unity), Chair of the Education, Culture and Sports Committee. Her approval rating increased by 0.4 points since last autumn, reaching 2.9.
The survey was conducted in May through face-to-face interviews at respondents’ homes. A total of 804 Riga residents aged 18 to 75 participated, while the approval ratings were calculated based on responses from 665 Latvian citizens
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