On Thursday, while reviewing the state budget for the next year, Saeima deputies supported the proposal to allocate 150,000 euros for the activities of the Manabalss.lv platform.
The funds will be allocated from the Public Participation Fund.
The platform has been a crucial tool for citizen engagement in policy-making for nearly 15 years. More than 140 initiatives have been proposed on the platform, 83 of which have been incorporated into legislation, including amendments to the Constitution. Deputies believe that an independent funding mechanism is necessary to enhance public participation in decision-making.
Previously, the Manabalss.lv team urged the Saeima to ensure a permanent funding mechanism for its activities as a state order to fulfill this vital public function. "Today, Latvian democracy is under attack - by narratives, ideas, hybrid attacks, and the threat of military aggression," said the organization's leader, Imants Breidaks, in a statement to the media.
He believes that if the Manabalss.lv platform ceases to exist, everyone will feel its absence. "Citizens will no longer have the opportunity to express their ideas to the government, and then all we will have left are elections to influence political processes - once every four years," Breidaks said, adding that politicians are usually willing to listen to the people only a year before elections, but not every day.
