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Riga City Council ( lv, Rīgas dome) is the
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
of the city of
Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
, the capital of
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
. Its meeting place is in the Riga Town Hall (''Rīgas rātsnams)'' at the Town Hall Square (''Rātslaukums'') in the very heart of Riga. The Riga City Council consists of 60 councilors who are elected every 4 years is established on the basis of party factions. The work of the Riga City Council is organized by the chairman (occasionally simply called as the mayor of Riga), Deputy Mayors, the Presidium, City Executive Director, District Executive Directors, and the staff of municipal institutions and enterprises. The Presidium of the Riga City Council consists of the chairman of the Riga City Council and the representatives delegated by the political parties or party blocks elected to the city council. Recently, the council had been suspended, since in February 2020 the city council was dissolved by the national authorities due to irregularities concerning waste management. An interim administration of three members headed by Edvīns Balševics, State Secretary of the
Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...
( lv), was appointed on February 25 to lead the city until snap elections were held. On 29 August 2020,
elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...
were held, with the alliance between
Development/For! Development/For! ( Latvian: ''Attīstībai/Par!,'' AP!) is a liberal political alliance in Latvia. It was formed in 2018 and it is made up of Movement For!, For Latvia's Development and Izaugsme. The coalition itself has embraced a centrist pos ...
and The Progressives winning the most seats. On October 2, 2020, Mārtiņš Staķis of
Development/For! Development/For! ( Latvian: ''Attīstībai/Par!,'' AP!) is a liberal political alliance in Latvia. It was formed in 2018 and it is made up of Movement For!, For Latvia's Development and Izaugsme. The coalition itself has embraced a centrist pos ...
was elected Mayor, leading a broad coalition consisting of
Development/For! Development/For! ( Latvian: ''Attīstībai/Par!,'' AP!) is a liberal political alliance in Latvia. It was formed in 2018 and it is made up of Movement For!, For Latvia's Development and Izaugsme. The coalition itself has embraced a centrist pos ...
, The Progressives,
New Unity The New Unity ( lv, Jaunā Vienotība, JV) is a centre-right political alliance in Latvia. Its members are Unity, the Latgale Party and four other regional parties, and it is orientated towards liberal-conservatism and liberalism. History Be ...
, the National Alliance, the
Latvian Association of Regions The Latvian Association of Regions or Latvian Regional Alliance ( lv, Latvijas Reģionu apvienība, LRA) is a centrist political party in Latvia. It was founded as an alliance on 13 March 2014 and is headed by former Unity MP Edvards Smiltēn ...
and The Conservatives. On March 24, 2022, Mārtiņš Staķis left
Development/For! Development/For! ( Latvian: ''Attīstībai/Par!,'' AP!) is a liberal political alliance in Latvia. It was formed in 2018 and it is made up of Movement For!, For Latvia's Development and Izaugsme. The coalition itself has embraced a centrist pos ...
. On December 13, 2022,
For Latvia's Development For Latvia's Development ( lv, Latvijas attīstībai, abbr. LA) is a liberal political party in Latvia. It is positioned on the centre-right on the political spectrum. History The party was founded in 2013 by the former Prime Minister of La ...
group decided to stop supporting Mayor Mārtiņš Staķis, leaving his coalition with the support of 34 councilors in council.


History of Riga Municipality


Early days

The heads of Riga, representing the town inhabitants, were mentioned in documents already in 1210. It is unknown when the first
town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...
was formed, but the members of the town council took part in signing treaties in Riga in 1225. In the 13th century the town council governed the town and acted as
legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
, but in the 14th century – also as a judicial authority. At the same time the town council managed the town protection problems, imposed
tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...
es, represented the interests of Riga's inhabitants in
international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...
, signed agreements and appointed
ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
s. However, a communal
assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...
of Riga inhabitants preserved a great role in settling important and extraordinary problems. In the first half of the 13th century the councilmen of the town council were elected for one year, but at the end of the century already the town council itself selected successors to councilmen posts. The post of councilman position actually became a lifelong post. The rights of the town council were restricted after Riga became subordinate to the King of Poland and Lithuania, Stefan Báthory (1581). Disagreements between the Riga Town Council and
guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...
s about the right of governing the town became aggravated at the end of the 16th century. It reached its culmination during the so-called “ Calendar Unrests” (1584–1589), though the town council maintained its dominance. Discordance flared up again in the first half of the 17th century when guilds managed to gain support from
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
which governed Riga at that time. After Riga fell into the jurisdiction of
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
(1710), it became a
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
center, and after the reforms of 1783, Riga's local administration was governed by a governor- general. However, the town council, representing the interests of the
German nobility The German nobility (german: deutscher Adel) and royalty were status groups of the medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the German-speaking area, until the b ...
, tried to preserve its influence in Riga. With alternating success it managed to do so by 1889. An administrative town reform took place in Russia in 1870, reaching also Riga in 1877.


The 20th century

The City Council and the City Board were formed, and the City Mayor was elected. During the Independent Republic of Latvia (1918–1940) Riga was officially recognized as the capital of Latvia (1931), with the Riga City Council governing it. After the governmental overturn of 1934, the
Cabinet of Ministers A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countrie ...
became the head of the city. After the
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
occupation in 1940, administrative structure of Riga was reorganized. A provisional Executive Committee was formed. In 1941, the city was divided into six districts to facilitate
police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
surveillance and management of nationalized properties. Such a system was preserved also after
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
; from time to time the number of districts and borderlines has changed. The Deputy Council of Working People (from 1977 – People's Deputy Council) governed Riga. It was elected once in two years (from 1979 – in 2.5). The council elected the executive committee. In reality these procedures were formal, and the city administration realized decisions inspired by the
totalitarian regime Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regul ...
’s leading organs. On May 4, 1990 the Supreme Council of the Latvian SSR adopted the Declaration on Restoring Independence of the Republic of Latvia, which introduced the period of rebuilding the structure of state power and administration in Latvia, including the Riga City administration reform. The process of restructuring started on February 15, 1990 with the laws adopted by the Supreme Council on the local governments of rural municipalities, regions, towns and cities. Pursuant to these laws the People’s Deputy Council from its members elected the chairman of the council, the deputy chairman and his/her secretary.
Andris Teikmanis Andris Teikmanis (29 November 1959; Riga, Latvia) is a Latvian lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He served as first post-soviet Mayor of Riga from 1990 to 1994. In September 2016 he was accredited as the Latvian ambassador to the United State ...
, representative from the
Popular Front of Latvia The Popular Front of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Tautas fronte) was a political organisation in Latvia in the late 1980s and early 1990s which led Latvia to its independence from the Soviet Union. It was similar to the Popular Front of Estonia and th ...
, was elected the chairman of the People’s Deputy Council of Riga. Under the guidance of A. Teikmanis, the People’s Deputy Council of Riga voted for using the historical
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
and
banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...
of Riga - a symbolic contribution to the continuity of the city’s heritage. Simultaneously, major changes took place in the city life and in the work of the municipal structural units linked with the changes in property forms and in the formation of the city budget. The law “On the Local Government of the Capital City Riga” passed on June 10, 1992, changed the city administration system in the very core. The Riga City Council, consisting of 60 councillors, became the largest administrative body of the city. 30 out of the 60 councillors were elected by the People's Deputy Council of Riga from its members and the other 30 were elected by the councils of the Riga City districts; five councillors from each district. Presidium and executive committee of the People's Deputy Council of Riga were abolished and replaced by the City Board consisting of 11 members. Andris Teikmanis was elected chairman of the Riga City Council. The district boards were established instead of executive committees, which were led by the executive directors of the districts. On August 26, 1993, the Riga City Council passed a resolution “On the Reform of the Riga Local Government”. It suggested to the
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
to create in Riga a one-level
local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
with one administrative body, i.e. Riga City Council with 60 councillors and the executive body under the Riga City Council – the Riga City Board. On May 19, 1994, the Saeima passed the law following which the Riga City Council was elected in the municipal
election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
s of May 29, 1994. A one-level local government, the Riga City Council with 60 elected councillors, was set up in Riga. Māris Purgailis was elected the chairman of the city council. 11 Standing Committees were established (Finance Committee, City Development Committee, Committee for Housing Issues, Municipal Property and Privatization Committee, Environment Protection Committee, Education, Youth and Sports Committee, Culture, Arts and Religion Committee, Committee for Municipal and Transport Affairs, Social Affairs Committee and Order Committee, Committee for Matters of Foreigners and Stateless Persons). Executive power was exercised by the executive director of the Riga City Council, whose deputies were also heads of departments (City Development Department, Property Department and Department of Finance). In the districts administrative functions were performed by the district boards appointed the Riga City Council; district boards were led by directors. Every district board included six departments, district commissions as well as branches of the Riga City Council directorates and departments. The next municipal elections took place on March 9, 1997. Andris Bērziņš was elected the chairman of the city by the new council. On May 5, 2000, he was appointed the
prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
and already on May 9 the RCC elected his successor
Andris Ārgalis Andris Ārgalis (born August 18, 1944) is a Latvian politician. He was the mayor of Riga from 2000 to 2001. Andris Ārgalis graduated from the Latvian Academy of Agriculture in 1969. In 1997 he was elected to the Riga City Council as represent ...
. The RCC structure also underwent some changes. The council had to elect the chairman and two deputy chairmen from among its members. The number of standing committees was also reduced to nine (Security and Order Committee and Committee for Matters of Foreigners and Stateless Persons were abolished). Chairmen of the Committees formed the council's Board. The Riga City Council employs the executive director of the Riga City, to whom executive boards of the city districts and the Maintenance Division of the RCC are subject.


2001–2020

The next municipal elections were held on March 11, 2001. Gundars Bojārs was elected the chairman of the city council, and Sergejs Dolgopolovs and Aivars Guntis Kreituss were elected deputy chairmen. As compared to the previous Riga City Council, the number of standing committees increased to ten, by restoring the Security and Order Committee. The board of the city council was replaced by the Presidium of the Riga City Council. After the municipal elections in 2005,
Aivars Aksenoks Aivars Aksenoks (born 24 May 1961) is a Latvian politician. A founder of the right-wing New Era, Aksenoks has a degree in engineering from the Riga Technical University and was the director of State Road and Traffic Safety Agency from 1992–2002 ...
became chairman of the city council. Deputy chairmen were Andris Ārgalis, Jānis Birks and Almers Ludviks (the latter replaced Juris Lujāns in summer 2005). In 2007, Jānis Birks became chairman, with Jānis Dinevičs replacing him as deputy chairman. After the
2009 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2009. * Electoral calendar 2009 * 2009 United Nations Security Council election Caribbean * 2009 Antiguan general election * 2009 Aruban general election * 2009 Caymanian constitutional referendu ...
, the
Harmony Centre ;russian: Достойная жизнь для каждого) , website saskanascentrs.lv Harmony Centre ( lv, Saskaņas Centrs, SC; russian: Центр Cогласия, ЦC) was a social-democratic political alliance in Latvia. It origi ...
and LPP/LC coalition came to power.
Nils Ušakovs Nils Ušakovs (russian: Нил Валерьевич Ушаков, ''Nil Valeryevich Ushakov'') (born 8 June 1976) is a Latvian Russian politician, former mayor of Riga and former journalist. He has been the board chairman of the left-wing part ...
became Mayor and Ainārs Šlesers took office as Vice Mayor. After Šlesers was elected to the
Saeima The Saeima () is the parliament of the Latvia, Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the po ...
in 2010 on the
For a Good Latvia For a Good Latvia ( lv, Par Labu Latviju!, also known as (AŠ)²) was a Latvian right-wing party alliance founded on 22 April 2010 by the People's Party, Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way, the businessmen's movement For a Good Latvia and some ...
list, his party colleague Andris Ameriks became Vice Mayor. In 2012 Ameriks created the
Honor to Serve Riga Honor to serve Riga! ( lv, Gods kalpot Rīgai!, GKR) is a municipal political party located in Riga, Latvia. It was created on March 17, 2012 and is led by Andris Ameriks, the former deputy mayor of Riga. In 2013 the party entered an electo ...
(GKR) party out of former LPP/LC fraction members and formed a coalition with Harmony Center in the
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
and 2017 elections, which they won. The ruling coalition started to crumble in 2018 when, after a number of high-profile corruption scandals concerning
Rīgas Satiksme Rīgas Satiksme is a municipally-owned public transportation and infrastructure company serving Riga, Latvia and the surrounding areas. It was founded on 20 February 2003 as an umbrella organisation for the respective operators of trams, buses and ...
and other municipal companies, Ameriks resigned in December 2018 with his party colleague and former Riga City Council Property Department head Oļegs Burovs succeeding him. In the wake of the scandals Ušakovs was also ordered to resign by
Juris Pūce Juris Pūce (born 22 January 1980, in Riga) is a Latvian economist, lawyer, and politician. Former Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of Latvia in the government of Krisjanis Karins and chairman of the board of the ...
, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM) in April 2019. At the same time, Ušakovs announced he would run in the 2019 European Parliament election in May as the leader of the SDP Harmony list, with Andris Ameriks right behind him. When both were elected, Ušakovs announced his resignation on May 29, with Burovs becoming interim council chair. After this, GKR member
Dainis Turlais Dainis Turlais (born 24 November 1950 in Madona, Latvian SSR) is a Latvian politician and former Soviet and Latvian officer. After being drafted into the Soviet Army in 1969, he continued his army service in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germ ...
, the sole candidate for Mayor which was backed by both Ušakovs and Burovs, was elected as mayor on May 30 by the ruling coalition, with the opposition boycotting the vote. His term was short, however, as after only 21 days in office Turlais was sacked on June 20 after failing a
no-confidence vote A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
submitted by the opposition and supported by elements of the coalition, deepening the conflict within it. After a short second stint as interim head, Burovs was elected mayor on August 19 with the support of GKR, Harmony and splinter groups mostly consisting of disgruntled coalition deputies. He defeated opposition candidate
Viesturs Zeps Viestards (also ''Viesthard, Vesthardus, Viesturs''; died 1230) was one of the greatest Semigallian dukes in the 13th century, referred to as King Vester ( goh, konic Vesters). Life His capital was Tērvete hillfort. During the first decades of ...
from
For Latvia's Development For Latvia's Development ( lv, Latvijas attīstībai, abbr. LA) is a liberal political party in Latvia. It is positioned on the centre-right on the political spectrum. History The party was founded in 2013 by the former Prime Minister of La ...
, which was also backed by the National Alliance faction, while the New Conservative and
Unity Unity may refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England * Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a h ...
factions abstained from voting. The fragile ruling coalition thwarted no-confidence votes that were called against Burovs by the opposition in December 2019. Burovs's term was also marred by fallout from potentially corrupt and mismanaged city policies, one of which became an attempt to entrust waste management in the city to a conglomerate of private companies for 20 years instead of a previous model which saw multiple companies compete for separate zones. This was blocked by the Competition Council of the Republic of Latvia as non-transparent, triggering Minister Pūce to call for a state of emergency in the city to be declared.


Since 2020

Ultimately, in February 2020, after approving the request of the VARAM, the city council headed by Oļegs Burovs was dissolved by the
Saeima The Saeima () is the parliament of the Latvia, Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the po ...
and the President of Latvia, following three successive council meetings at which a quorum was not obtained and due to the failure to provide autonomous functions of a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
established in the Waste Management Law. Snap elections were announced to be held on 25 April 2020 and an interim administration of three members headed by Edvīns Balševics, State Secretary of the
Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...
( lv), was appointed on February 25. The election was later postponed to 6 June 2020 due to the
coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...
, and then ultimately to August 29. After the elections were won by the alliance of
Development/For! Development/For! ( Latvian: ''Attīstībai/Par!,'' AP!) is a liberal political alliance in Latvia. It was formed in 2018 and it is made up of Movement For!, For Latvia's Development and Izaugsme. The coalition itself has embraced a centrist pos ...
and The Progressives, they formed a coalition with Unity, the New Conservative Party and the common list of the National Alliance and the
Latvian Association of Regions The Latvian Association of Regions or Latvian Regional Alliance ( lv, Latvijas Reģionu apvienība, LRA) is a centrist political party in Latvia. It was founded as an alliance on 13 March 2014 and is headed by former Unity MP Edvards Smiltēn ...
on 4 September 2020, with Mārtiņš Staķis becoming the main candidate for the office of mayor. Harmony and Honor to Serve Riga were joined by the
Latvian Russian Union The Latvian Russian Union (LRU, lv, Latvijas Krievu savienība, russian: Русский союз Латвии, Russkiy soyuz Latvii) (LKS) is a political party in Latvia supported mainly by ethnic Russians and other Russian-speaking minorities. ...
in forming the opposition. Staķis was elected mayor on 2 October 2020.


The Town Hall Building

Just underneath the Riga City Council building (destroyed in 1941 during World War II, rebuilt in 2003) is a narrow cobblestone street which is home to different
souvenir A souvenir (), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a m ...
and flower shops, a giant cascading waterfall three stories high and the remains of an ancient tree stub unearthed during the re-construction process. A small plaque states that when this
oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
was growing on the banks of the River Daugava.


Mayors of Riga


See also

* Timeline of Riga


Notes


References


External links


Official websiteThe Town Hall Square and the Blackheads House
on Cita Riga
Old website of the city council
{{Authority control City councils Politics of Riga