The opposition party Latvia First has nevertheless succeeded in getting the Central Election Commission to launch a signature collection drive so that, once the required number is gathered, a referendum can be held to amend the constitution with a ban on privatizing major state-owned enterprises without the approval of the Saeima, the CEC reports.
“Only and exclusively the Saeima may decide on the disposal of property assets significant to Latvia’s national economy, namely the state joint-stock company Latvijas dzelzceļš, the joint-stock company Latvijas valsts meži, the joint-stock company Latvenergo, the joint-stock company Sadales tīkls, the joint-stock company Augstsprieguma tīkls, the state joint-stock company International Airport “Rīga” and the state joint-stock company Latvijas gaisa satiksme. The Saeima’s decision on the disposal of property assets significant to Latvia’s national economy is adopted in a sitting attended by at least two thirds of the members of the Saeima, and approval requires a two-thirds majority of the votes of the deputies present.”
The political force has envisaged that this text would be added to Article 66 of the constitution, which currently stipulates that the state budget is adopted by the Saeima.
Latvia First already turned to the CEC in September to ask it to start collecting signatures on this issue, but the commission refused, stating that the party’s application had not been drafted and formulated in sufficient detail. The party was given a month to remedy these shortcomings, which apparently has been done.
For the CEC to be obliged to organize a referendum, approximately 150,000 supporters of the idea must sign by 14 October 2026. However, since 2012, when the number of signatures required to organize a referendum was increased fivefold, no activist has managed to carry out such an initiative. The last referendum (on Russian as a second state language) in Latvia took place in 2012, and it was precisely because of this referendum that the required number of signatures was significantly increased.
However, President Edgars Rinkēvičs has hinted that the easing of referendum procedures should be considered – specifically, reducing the required number of signatures.
Supporters of the party’s initiative can sign on the portal Latvija.lv and at signature collection points in municipalities.
The idea for the need for a referendum and for including in the Satversme a ban on privatizing state-owned enterprises without the support of the Saeima arose after the Ministry of Finance, in its informative report On proposals for capital market development and on state and municipal capital companies to be put forward for an initial public offering, provided for the possibility of privatizing shares in strategically important state-owned enterprises.
Originally published at https://inc-baltics.com/sak-vakt-parakstus-latvenergo-referendumam/
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