Last week, Latvians elected a new council for the capital city Riga. ALDE party members Latvijas Attīstībai and Kustība Par! formed a coalition Attīstībai/Par!, running on the same ticket with the social democratic party The Progressives and gaining 18 out of 60 seats.

This alliance more than doubled their seats, growing from 8 to 18 elected councillors, thus leaving their biggest competitor, the ruling alliance of Harmony on second place with 12 councillors.

ALDE Party President Hans van Baalen congratulated both parties on their excellent result and wished good luck to the alliance’s lead candidate Mārtiņš Staķis (Kustiba Par!), who has already started coalition talks with three other parties.

Congratulations @KustibaPar and @attistibai with your fantastic result in the Riga council elections! The voters have spoken and I wish you all the best of luck @MStakis in the negotiations. Liberals are leading! @ALDEParty https://t.co/FxCIy2pKrz

— Hans van Baalen (@hansvanbaalen) August 31, 2020

Lieliskā @AttistibaiPar+@progresivie Rīgas domes koalīcijas veidošanas sarunu komanda – @ViestursZeps, @Antonina17, @MKossovics. Pirmais raunds bija ļoti veiksmīgs. Viss liecina, ka varēsim izveidot rīcībspējīgu un stabilu Rīgas domes pārmaiņu koalīciju ar 39 domnieku atbalstu! pic.twitter.com/rijicxd5lz

— Mārtiņš Staķis (@MStakis) August 31, 2020

Moreover, an alumna of the European Women’s Academy Class of 2019, Iveta Ratinīka, was re-elected to the council. Ratinīka has said that she wants to focus on improving the education system in Riga and keeps the interests of teachers close to her heart.

Paldies visiem! Esmu nobijusies, kā tikt galā ar jau iesāktajiem darbiem un arī šīm jaunajām saistībām. Galvenais mans mērķis-tāda izglītība pilsētā, lai varam nevis čīkstēt, bet ar to patiesi lepoties. Un lai visi izglītības speciālisti domē ir vispirms skolotāji, ne politiķi.

— iveta r (@ivetarouge) August 30, 2020