One Vice-Speaker Elected, Another on the Way. By 8 PM, Deputies Hope to Go Home

The changes to the regulations of the Saeima adopted by the previous parliament did not help this time. The essence of the changes is that if there is only one candidate for each position in the presidium, then deputies vote electronically and the result becomes clear in the next few seconds. Today, during the first meeting of the new Saeima, it turned out that there are two candidates for each post in the presidium, and even three for the position of secretary of the presidium! Therefore, deputies are voting by ballot, and thus the counting process is prolonged. So far, only the Speaker of the Saeima and one Vice-Speaker have been elected - Inara Murniece (National Alliance), who was the Speaker in the previous parliament, the 13th Saeima. Voting is currently ongoing for the second Vice-Speaker - Raimonds Vējonis and Vyacheslav Stepanenko have been nominated for this position. It is clear that, according to preliminary agreements, the former President of Latvia, Raimonds Vējonis, will become the Vice-Speaker. It can be predicted that the position of secretary of the presidium will go to Ramona Petraviča from "Latvia First", and her deputy will be Antonina Nenashova ("Progressives"), who was both Vice-Speaker and secretary of the presidium in the last Saeima. Thus, the once main ruling party - "New Unity" - will remain without its representative in the presidium of the parliament. Deputies hope to conclude today's meeting by 8 PM.