On 9 October, President Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the Head of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Kristīne Saulīte at the Riga Castle to discuss the CEC's readiness for the European Parliament elections in 2024, as well as the issues related to the maintenance and use of the online voter register and election management system.
During the meeting, President Rinkēvičs expressed his conviction that the CEC plays a crucial role in ensuring the fundamental value of democracy - the right of voting citizens to exercise state power, participate in elections and take part in the legislative process. The state must find mechanisms to ensure that this essential function can be carried out by state institutions with their own resources and specialists.
The parties also discussed the readiness of the CEC to ensure local government referendums where necessary. They also discussed the vision for a change in the governance model of the CEC, taking into account that the Prime Minister has instructed the Ministry of Justice to develop a new governance model for the electoral body at the end of April 2023, which would provide the necessary administrative support for the performance of its functions without interfering in the conduct of elections.
