Prime Minister Siliņa presents her annual report to a seething Saeima / Article

As previously reported by LSM, the annual report compiled by the government itself unsurprisingly says it is doing pretty well – a verdict that equally unsurprisingly was not shared by opposition lawmakers. 

Siliņa repeated her claim that her government had achieved many of the so-called ‘4×4’ strategic goals she outlined a year ago.

Probably wisely, Siliņa’s address to the Saeima was shunted towards the end of the parliamentary session so that a wide range of more practical and specific legislative matters could be worked through first. With most of those eventually out of the way, it was open season with deputies free to thunder away for as long as they liked.   

“A lot has been accomplished, including with the support of the Saeima… More can always be done, and it can certainly be done better. But the priorities set out in the government declaration have become specific government decisions, changes that are not always popular and populist, but are necessary to be adopted today so that in the long term we can all live better in Latvia,” Siliņa told the parliament. 

The opposition rushed to criticize the report and the government’s work in general with deputy Edgars Tavars, expressing the opinion of the “United List” faction, leading the charge. 

“We heard the optimistic report from the head of government, how great everything is. Does this entire report truly reflect what not only the opposition sees, but also what the public sees?” he asked, criticising the government’s record on green issues and transport in particular.

With parliamentary elections looming in the Autumn, opposition members – and even some coalition members – seized the opportunity to question the government’s record and paint a much less rosy picture of recent progress than the one presented.

Another opposition deputy, Linda Liepiņa (Latvia First) said the report that had been presented to Saeima was of low quality and lacked specifics.

“When I read your report, I ask myself the question – why? Why are such reports prepared at such a low level? There is no analysis in the report. You say that you will reduce the number of civil servants, then tell me by how much. You will reduce bureaucracy by 25% – then tell me by what [has it been reduced]? This report is a self-promotional document,” said Liepiņa. 

MP Ilze Indriksone of the opposition National Alliance pointed to a lack of results in her critique:

“When reading the report, one gets the feeling that most of it is goals, tasks, plans, intentions, but there is a lack of really measurable results. That is not enough in politics. Knowledge alone does not ensure success, you have to act, make decisions. It is with action that this government has had the most difficulty. The “4×4″ plan was presented as a road map for action. We see that a large part of the plans have remained only at the level of declarations and processes.”

The government’s work was also criticized from within the coalition. Antonina Nenaševa (Progressives), on behalf of the faction, admitted the coalition parties sometimes displayed an inability to cooperate.

“The first acts of this government really brought a breath of fresh air. It seemed that there would be changes not only in the content of politics, but also in the style of politics. However, the government soon began to be tested by everyday reality. The old political instincts prevailed – hesitation, avoidance of responsibility, the hope that problems would resolve themselves.”

She also criticized the government for failing to sufficiently defend Latvia’s membership of the Istanbul Convention.

Siliņa did receive staunch support from her fellow New Unity party member, Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who was able to point to recent repatriation flights from the Middle East and Latvia’s temporary place on the UN Security Council as tangible achievements.

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