On Thursday, February 5th, a Saeima motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (New Unity) requested by the opposition faction Latvia First (LPV) failed – not least because it wasn’t supported by the very people who had demanded it.

This was the sixth demand for Siliņa’s resignation, but probably the most half-baked yet. Saeima elections are due to take place in October and it is doubtful that even the opposition parties would be too keen on trying to form a completely new government at this late stage of the parliamentary term.  

Nevertheless, deputies went through the motions of a long debate during which they voiced various criticisms, but ultimately the opposition factions including LPV ultimately chose the option ‘No vote’ when it came to an actual vote.

Siliņa’s resignation was not supported by 46 MPs – mainly from her coalition parties, while independent deputy Skaidrīte Ābrama abstained. In turn, 34 MPs from the opposition factions chose the option ‘No vote’ which meant the necessary quorum didn’t even exist, thus invalidating the vote.

For anyone wondering, one of the quirks of the Latvian parliamentary system is that as well as voting ‘For’ or ‘Against’ a motion, registered deputies have two further options: ‘Abstain’ – which means you don’t bother to press a button to cast a vote; and ‘No vote’ – which means you do bother to press a button – the one which says that you are not voting. These might perhaps be considered as passive and active ways of not voting and essentially amount to the same thing.

The Saeima consists of 100 deputies. According to the Constitution and the Saeima Rules of Procedure, parliamentary sessions can only be held if at least half of the members of the Saeima, that is, 50 deputies, participate in them, which is the minimum number of deputies, or quorum.

So, even though there were well over 50 deputies sitting in the chamber, the fact that so many of them opted for ‘No vote’ meant there was no quorum, making the whole thing a colossal waste of time, apart from giving the opportunity to blow off some steam and get a bit of practice in for the upcoming elections. 

Edmunds Jurēvics, the leader of the New Unity parliamentary faction, described the opposition’s actions to the LSM.lv portal on Thursday as tragicomic. “I don’t even know what to call it. This is the sixth time they are demanding the prime minister’s resignation, but for the first time they themselves are tearing up the quorum for their own request,” Jurēvics said. 

Some opposition deputies also criticized Siliņa during the debates for not showing up for the Saeima session – despite the fact that she was in Dubai on Thursday participating in the World Governments Summit and leading a trade delegation, which was planned far in advance. Given the eventual outcome, it’s probably a good job she didn’t rush back for the vote that never was.

Seen a mistake?

Select text and press Ctrl+Enter to send a suggested correction to the editor

Select text and press Report a mistake to send a suggested correction to the editor

Tell us about a mistake