On 31 January, at the invitation of the President Edgars Rinkēvičs a meeting was held at the Riga Castle with the leaders of the Saeima parliamentary factions. The discussions focused on the work priorities for the first half of this year as well as the growing public distrust in state institutions.
"There is growing confusion and justified concern within society regarding the actions and efficiency of state institutions. Examples include the repeated lack of quorum in the Saeima, the legislator's refusal to allow the State Audit Office to review parliamentary expenses, the disproportionate reliance on remote work within public administration, the rejection of a proposal to introduce criminal liability for prohibited agreements in public procurements, slow progress in reducing bureaucracy, and the process of selecting the next President of the Bank of Latvia. During discussions with Saeima faction representatives, we addressed the need to review the conditions for initiating referendums in cases that do not affect the fundamental principles (core) of the Constitution or the established aspects of constitutional identity. Today, I listened to the views of Saeima faction leaders. On 17 February, I plan to hold another meeting with faction representatives, inviting constitutional law experts to join the discussion. Following these consultations, I will submit legislative initiatives," said President Rinkēvičs after the meeting.
