The Latvian Saeima’s Public Administration Commission has endorsed a plan that would allow the dismissal of employees “disloyal” to the republic. It is envisaged that employees of the state administration will be prohibited from expressing public opinion or committing actions that would be directed against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of a democratic state.
Employees of the state and municipal sectors can be dismissed from their posts if they are found to be disloyal to the Latvian state and its Constitution. Such amendments to the Law on the Establishment of Public Administration were approved by the Saeima Committee on Public Administration and Self-Government.
According to the amendments, an employment or service relationship may be terminated if a person employed in public administration has expressed an opinion or taken other actions that clearly show that he or she is disloyal to Latvia and its Constitution, and from now on his or her work in the relevant institution may pose a serious threat to the activities of that institution or the interests of the state. It is planned that employers will both assess and apply sanctions depending on whether the employee has fulfilled the duty of loyalty.
The reason for drafting the bill was the fact that 13,165 citizens signed a collective petition to the parliament “Prohibit pro-Kremlin individuals from holding positions in state and local government institutions”.