RIGA, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Latvian Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Juris Puce on Friday initiated a dissolution of Riga City Council, blaming it for inability to cope with the waste management crisis in the capital city.
The final decision on the proposal will have to be taken by the parliament.
The city council has been in turmoil since last spring when Nils Usakovs resigned as Riga mayor and divisions started to appear in the city's left-wing coalition of Harmony and Honor to Serve Riga (GKR). Olegs Burovs of GKR, who was elected the new Riga mayor in August, managed to put together a new coalition in November.
However, Puce threatened to consider sacking the city council if it failed to fix the waste collection system in the city. Burovs promised to deal with the situation, but at the beginning of December the central government and lawmakers decided to extend the state of emergency in the city's waste management sector.
At a news conference on Friday, Puce said that the ministry had thoroughly analyzed the actions of the city council as it organized several unsuccessful tenders to manage household waste in the city. The latest tender was announced Thursday.
The city council had been given three months to pick providers of waste management services but instead it did nothing, the minister said.
Feb. 22, 2020 has been unofficially named as the possible date for a snap municipal election, which would have to be held in Riga if the current city council is dismissed.
