LATVIA: Riga Mayor Ousted [4 March 2007]

Summary: Former Riga mayor Aksenoks ousted

Development: On February 19 the Riga City Council removed deputy mayor Aivars Aksenoks from office. A member of the New Era Party, Aksenoks was ousted with 33 out of the 60 member council in support of the motion of no-confidence. This is the first time a Riga mayor has been ousted on such a vote.  Those voting for removal refused to give specifics when queried by New Era Party members and the press.  However, one reason for his removal by the council is the fact that Aksenoks has been involved with gambling halls and casinos. Also, his open rejection of a high profile construction project (concert hall) has been criticized since the start of the year. The new four party coalition—comprised of Latvia’s First Party, the People’s Party, the Nationalist Alliance of For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK and the opposition Latvian Social Democratic Workers Party—elected Janis Birks to replace Aksenoks. Aksenok’s had been in office two years.

Analysis: Though blame resides on Aksenok’s lack of good policy, national politics play a major role in his dismissal. The New Era Party fell out of favor with the Government of Latvia when left the ruling coalition in the national government in 2006. The current four-party coalition is likely to move now to remove Riga’s chief executive, Erik Skapars, from office, although the law seems to protect his rights. On February 20, Janis Birks, current deputy mayor, announced his primary objective would be to correct Aksenok’s and the administration’s mistakes. Also, he is planning to address issues of traffic and the construction of the concert hall project. 

[Anatasia Kankaanpää]