RIGA, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian government on Tuesday approved the Regional Development Ministry's proposal to postpone a snap municipal election in the capital city Riga from April to June.
The decision has been taken as Latvia is bracing for a COVID-19 epidemic on its soil and the government has introduced a national emergency, which has shut down various institutions, suspended international passenger traffic and halted many other services.
The election in Riga, originally scheduled for April 25, 2020, has now been postponed to June 6, 2020.
Arguing for the postponement of the election, the Regional Development Ministry noted that the World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic, based on which the Latvian government decided to introduce the national emergency.
Regional Development Minister Juris Puce told ministers that June 6 has been chosen as the new election date, assuming that Latvia will overcome the epidemic in the next couple of months. He did not rule out a further postponement, though.
The government's decision has yet to be approved by the parliament.
The snap elections have to be held in Riga because the Latvian parliament dissolved Riga City Council in February. Enditem
