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“I appreciate that you have shown such passionate interest in the developments and political processes taking place in the country. Youth participation is important because you are our future. You will be the ones sitting here at one point, and this historic moment will remind you of your first steps in politics. I hope and believe that you will be the future statesmen and stateswomen," said Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima on Friday, 26 April, addressing the participants of the 11^th Youth Parliament.

The Speaker of the Saeima stressed the importance of the widest possible public involvement in decision-making: “The wider discussions we hold, the better the decisions we will make.”

Speaker Mieriņa also emphasised that a strong politician is the one who always and in all circumstances defends his or her conviction in a constructive and reasoned manner. The Speaker of the Saeima urged the young people to start their political career unhurriedly and confidently: “Slow and steady wins the race. It takes time to learn the ins and outs of politics, as well as to learn that things are often not as simple as they appear. I wish you a productive day and opportunities to show yourself," said the Speaker of the Saeima, inviting young people to passionately defend their ideas.

Today, the 11^th Youth Parliament convened in the Saeima. The work of the Youth Parliament closely resembles the work of the Saeima, especially the process of drafting laws in parliamentary committees and plenary sittings. The Youth Parliament promotes the civic engagement of young people in decision-making relevant to themselves, gives an opportunity to express and defend their ideas from the parliamentary rostrum, as well as to get to know the daily routines of the MPs.

Today, young people participate in plenary sittings and in four committees. In the second half of the day, young people will discuss the ideas supported by the committees and their inclusion in the 11^th Youth Saeima Declaration. The sittings of the 11^th Youth Parliament are chaired by the Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa and the Deputy Speaker Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, but the committee work is moderated by Edmunds Cepurītis, Igors Rajevs, Leila Rasima and Agita Zariņa-Stūre.

Marking the 20^th anniversary since Latvia is a member of the European Union and NATO, the 11^th Youth Parliament is focused on the future – “Latvia in 20 years”. In 20 years, today’s young people will be in charge of our country. Young people are invited to think about how the decisions taken today, the education system, the contribution to national security and other measures will affect the way we live in Latvia in 2044.

100 members of the Youth Parliament were elected by public vote, and all regions of Latvia were represented in the project. This year, 39 young people from Riga constituency, 20 from Vidzeme, 14 from Latgale, 15 from Zemgale and 12 from Kurzeme region have received seats in the Parliament, among them representatives of diaspora. 

More about the project: www.jauniesusaeima.lv

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/albums/72177720316485143
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Saeima Press Service