Less than 2,500 votes have been collected for the permanent state funding of the "Manabalss" portal — which is extremely low for submitting an initiative to the Saeima. According to a representative of the platform, if "Manabalss.lv" no longer exists, all Latvians will feel its absence.
Currently, less than 2,500 votes have been collected on the cooperation initiative portal "Manabalss.lv" for the continued existence of the platform, provided that its permanent funding is ensured by the Saeima.
The initiative was submitted by the "Manabalss.lv" team on December 10. It emphasizes that the existence of "Manabalss.lv" is under threat, as the platform is based on donations, the flow of which has significantly decreased in recent years. If its activities cease, an important tool of democracy will be lost, which has helped residents influence laws and decisions for almost 15 years, the platform's representatives emphasize.
"Manabalss.lv" reminds that this autumn the significance of the platform became particularly evident when the issue of Latvia's possible withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention was raised. Within a few days, about 100,000 people expressed their position by signing several initiatives, and this had real consequences. "This proves that 'Manabalss.lv' is a fast, safe, and reliable mechanism that allows society to directly influence the political agenda," the initiative states.
Since the "Oligarchs' Funeral" in 2011, when the organization was founded, more than 140 initiatives have reached the Saeima, and 83 of them have become laws. The platform also contributed to the first constitutional changes in Latvia promoted by digital democracy — the open election of the President of the state, as well as achieving success at the municipal level by implementing 26 initiatives.
The "Manabalss.lv" team in the initiative asks the Saeima to develop a permanent funding mechanism for the infrastructure of digital democracy, of which "Manabalss.lv" is a part.
The authors of the initiative believe that funding should be provided as a state order to ensure a socially significant function. Just as public media receive state funding while maintaining editorial independence, "Manabalss.lv" also needs permanent funding that would allow citizens to participate in democratic processes and achieve real changes in the country while maintaining independence in its activities, the platform's representatives emphasize.
It was previously reported that on December 4, the Saeima deputies, when making a decision on the state budget for the next year, supported the proposal to allocate 150,000 euros for the activities of "Manabalss.lv".
Earlier, the "Manabalss.lv" platform team called on the Saeima to ensure a permanent funding mechanism for its activities as a state order for the performance of a socially significant function. "Today, Latvian democracy is under attack — through narratives, ideas, hybrid attacks, and threats of military aggression," stated the organization's leader, Imants Breidaks, in a media address.
In his opinion, if the "Manabalss.lv" platform no longer exists, everyone will feel its absence. "Citizens will no longer have the opportunity to gift their ideas to Latvia, and then you and all of us will only have elections to influence political processes — once every four years," Breidaks noted, pointing out that politicians are generally willing to listen to the people only a year before elections, but not in everyday life.
The "Manabalss" project is implemented by the "Sabiedrības līdzdalības fonds," whose board includes Breidaks, Signes Valtiņa, and Valdis Pornieks.
