President Egils Levits has warned that if the epidemiological situation worsens after easing trade restrictions, the Prime Minister will have to demand the resignation of some ministers. However, the possibility of losing such a high position does not frighten one of the most ardent proponents of the idea of easing restrictions - the Minister of Economics Jānis Vitenbergs - while the leadership of the party he represents is ready to counterattack the Prime Minister and the President.
The President issued the angry statement on possibly demanding the resignations after a meeting with Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš. After hearing how the Prime Minister described the situation in the Cabinet of Ministers, E. Levits pointed out that the situation in the government in terms of decision-making and Covid-19 crisis management is unsatisfactory. In his view, it is unacceptable for ministers to act as lobbies for their industry. E. Levits emphasized that the Cabinet of Ministers is the responsible institution that must decide on the country as a whole, not on individual sectors.
"Each industry is trying to advance its own issues, for example, like in this case, with the lifting of restrictions, regardless of the consequences for the state," the President commented.
The President emphasized that the decision to relax the restrictions should take into account the epidemiological situation and the statements of experts who have clearly warned that reducing restrictions would cause a major crisis in the health system.
"If, however, such decisions are made based on proposals of individual ministers, then if the level of morbidity reaches a high level or significantly increases, these ministers should take personal responsibility," the President emphasized.
The possibility of losing the post of Minister of Economics won't stop J. Vitenbergs from trying to take care of small traders, but he emphasizes that he is not trying to restore careless trade but to create a safe order in which small shop owners can also provide for themselves.
"I am ready to take responsibility for my decisions and I have done so thus far. We, as the Ministry of Economics, see that the conditions are unclear, Covid will not disappear in the coming months. Therefore, it is necessary to create models so people can safely receive services and entrepreneurs can start working. It is our duty to find a way to live with the virus, and we are working on it,” says the Minister of Economics, who is dissatisfied with the opinion of other ministers that the time has not come yes for relaxing the restrictions. "My question is, when will the time come and what are the criteria for small shops to resume work? No answers have really been given,” the Minister adds.
Ēriks Pucens, the deputy chairman of the Saeima faction of the party represented by the Minister - KPV LV - does not even entertain the idea of J. Vitenbergs' resignation. According to him, K. Kariņš and the Minister of Health Daniels Pavļuts are the ones who must take political responsibility and resign.
"Mr Levits should first ask for the resignation of the Prime Minister and Minister of Health Pavļuts. Where are the vaccines for Latvia, why are we the least vaccinated Baltic state? The Ministry of Health criticizes all offers for safe trade but does not present its own offer. So maybe the blame lies with the Minister of Health?”
rhetorically asks the politician, adding that the reasons for higher officials' not understanding people's daily problems may lie in their well-off lives. "People who have a lot of money in their accounts may not understand those who have to pay their bills," Ē. Pucens said, referring to E. Levits and K. Kariņš.
KPV LV and its minister are not the only members of the government who tend to support the easing of restrictions on trade and other services. Artis Pabriks, the Minister of Defense from Development/For! (Attīstībai/Par!) and a party colleague of the Minister of Health, admits that the restriction system in Latvia is not logical enough and should be revised. In addition, the pandemic has been plaguing the country for a year, during which time enough experience should have been gained to be able to apply safety measures to both supermarkets and small shops.
The Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Artūrs Toms Plešs, who is a party colleague of both A. Pabriks and D. Pavļuts, also supports a system in which all service providers could work in compliance with security measures. He believes that during the pandemic, it is safer to allow the provision of services in a controlled and safety-compliant way than to allow services to be provided illegally.
"The pandemic has already significantly changed the usual rhythm of our lives, so now it is necessary to implement such restrictive measures that will both increase public confidence in the work of the Cabinet and encourage citizens to adhere more closely to established norms, decisions and precautions," says the minister.
In his opinion, it is necessary to think about how to provide people with safe access to certain services even if the spread of the virus does not decrease rapidly, moreover, the fact that the demand for certain services is growing should be taken into account.
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