“As a reliable ally and true friend, we wish the Ukrainian people to shape the future they desire – in a free, democratic and European country where there is no war and where kids have joyful and happy childhood,” said Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, today, on 17 March, as she addressed the participants of the international project “Children for Peace Around the World” in the Latvian parliament. 

On Thursday, 10 March, the Saeima in the third and final reading adopted amendments to the Criminal Law. Inter alia, the Law has been supplemented with a new section establishing criminal liability for employers who pay salaries to their employees without registering these payments in their accounting.

On Thursday, 3 March, the Saeima in the second and final reading adopted amendments to the Law on State Pensions that provide for a higher pension indexation as of 2017, whereby the pension indexation will be based on 50% of insurance contribution from wages instead of the current 25%.

On Thursday, 3 March, the Saeima in the first reading adopted amendments to the Criminal Law, which substantially revise and adjust current provisions of the Law regarding the responsibility for crimes against the state. MPs agreed on the urgency of these amendments and decided to consider them in the second and final reading on 7 April.

On Thursday, 3 March, the Saeima adopted in the third and final reading amendments to the Saeima Election Law, the Elections to the European Parliament Law and the Law on Political Parties, stipulating that henceforth political parties or unions thereof wishing to run in elections of the Saeima or the European Parliament must have at least 500 members.

On Thursday, 3 March, with 49 votes for and 45 against, the Saeima appointed Juris Jansons as Ombudsman for the second consecutive term.

“The mission of a journalist is to drive the world, rather than merely reflect. I wish all media in Latvia, and public media in particular, to always have a clear vision of the direction in which you move the world and our country - Latvia,” said   Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, in her opening address at the discussion “Constructive news – responsibility of public media” held at the Saeima today. The concept of constructive news was presented by Ulrik Haagerup, Head of News for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. 

Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, expresses her deepest condolences to the people of Turkey regarding the terrorist attack committed on 17 February in Ankara.

On Thursday, 11 February, the Saeima held an extraordinary plenary sitting, during which it approved the new Cabinet of Ministers lead by Māris Kučinskis with 60 votes for and 32 votes against. 

On Thursday, 11 February, the Saeima adopted in the final reading amendments to the Energy Law setting out the principles for opening the natural gas market to all sellers and providing households with the right to freely choose their gas supplier. The amendments also stipulate how the final phase of reforming the natural gas market is to be implemented.