Latvia First launches petition to oust Briskens

RIGA - Latvia First (LPV) party has decided to launch a petition to sack Transport Minister Kaspars Briskens (Progressives) and is urging other political parties to support the signature drive, Ainars Slesers, chairman of the LPV group in the Saeima, told LETA. 

"The government has to decide whether or not they defend Briskens, because the pot is already boiling over and it is time for Briskens to leave the Transport Ministry," said Slesers, adding that today he also informed President Edgars Rinkevics of the decision to start collecting signatures next week.

The opposition lawmaker said that Briskens is currently in a conflict of interest as he has been "involved in both airBaltic and Rail Baltica for several years", and it now appears that Briskens is not trying to resolve the situation by moving the processes forward, but by trying to "cover up his failures".

Slesers expressed the hope that the collection of signatures under the petition would go smoothly and that the Saeima would vote on Briskens' sacking as early as next Thursday.

As reported, after talking with Briskens about Latvia's national carrier airBaltic earlier this week, MPs of the opposition United List have decided to turn to the prosecutor's office. The United List said that that the government's latest decisions on airBaltic have caused serious concerns about the recovery of hundreds of millions of taxpayers' money, compliance with principles of good governance and the company's future.

Briskens said this week that he feels the support of his colleagues in his parliamentary group. "As long as I have this support, I will work," the minister said. Also this week, Saeima Speaker Daiga Mierina (Greens/Farmers) said that the Union of Greens and Farmers has trust in the transport minister.