At the meeting of the Saeima's Commission on State Administration and Local Governments on Wednesday, criticism was voiced regarding the contradictory information about the preparations for the upcoming Saeima elections expected in early October.
At the meeting of the Saeima's Commission on State Administration and Local Governments on Wednesday, criticism was voiced regarding the contradictory information about the preparations for the upcoming Saeima elections expected in early October.
Representatives of the State Agency for Digital Development (SADR) and the Central Election Commission (CEC) participated in the meeting. Deputies discussed the decision to terminate the contract with the developer of the voting platform "RIX Technologies." Representatives of the SADR emphasized that the project development had not actually begun, which is why such a decision was made.
The agency explained that the situation is changing daily, new information is coming in, including about the progress of the investigation, and contradictory information has been received from the previous service provider, making it difficult to assess the situation.
Saeima Deputy Maris Kučinskis ("United List") referred to what is happening in the Ministry of Smart Governance and Regional Development (MSGRD) and the SADR as a series, pointing out the contradictory public statements: just recently it was claimed that work was underway and would be completed. At the same time, the politician emphasized the need to ensure that those responsible for the processes do not "drop the ball."
Deputy Ilze Stobova (LPM) stated that parliamentarians are repeatedly misled. She reminded that the SADR had previously assured that everything was fine, but the problems have flared up again.
The chairman of the commission, Oleg Burov (CHSR), inquired whether the planned changes would lead to delays, emphasizing that the CEC is currently a hostage to the situation. Representatives of the SADR noted that there are currently no signs of possible delays and that the necessary systems will be developed on time.
Deputy Ugis Mitrevics (National Alliance) asked about the distribution of work among the three state companies. The SADR responded that each would work in its area of expertise, synchronizing actions. It was also emphasized that this approach is cheaper than continuing cooperation with "RIX Technologies."
The head of the CEC, Maris Zviedris, also spoke at the meeting, presenting the main options for action in case, for example, the electronic register is not available. Among them are returning voters to specific polling stations, using voter identification cards, or voting only with registration envelopes.
Zviedris explained that a complete transition to registration envelopes would allow voting at any polling station; however, it has a significant drawback: counting the votes could take more than a week, as all data would have to be checked manually to prevent double voting or participation without the right.
Burov urged working to make voting as convenient as possible for residents, as any inconveniences reduce turnout.
The deputies agreed to hold a new meeting on April 30 with the participation of all involved companies to discuss the plans for carrying out the work in detail, including a phased schedule.
It was previously reported that the MSGRD terminated the contract with the developer of the voting platform "RIX Technologies" and proposes to transfer the development of voting systems to state enterprises "Latvijas mobilais telefons" (LMT), "Tet," and "Latvijas valsts meži" (LVM).
It was also reported that 21 people have been detained in connection with a fraud investigation in public procurement conducted by the European Prosecutor's Office.
According to the investigation, an organized group colluded to pre-determine the winners in competitions for at least six projects funded by the European Regional Development Fund, amounting to up to 1.5 million euros. It is assumed that contracts were illegally obtained with the help of public officials, and the illegal profits were shared among the participants.
The press release from the European Prosecutor's Office states that the implementation of some projects may pose a potential risk to national security, as they could affect elections and democratic processes.
