Rezekne Deputies Discover New Form of Democracy: Non-Election

Rezekne City Council this week proved that democracy can be as complicated as navigating the mythical basements of Karosta's former Tsarist naval base on a dark evening without a flashlight. With eight votes, the deputies decided NOT to elect a new mayor because it would create "legal complications." It seems the only complication they can't solve is how to explain to voters why the city is run by someone who is neither elected nor officially confirmed.

Deputy Chairman Jānis Tutins, who is now performing mayoral duties, announced that electing a new mayor would mean "two chairmen." While Liepāja prides itself on a clear governance structure, Rezekne has chosen an experimental approach — one mayor is suspended but not dismissed, another performs duties but isn't elected. It's like a theater performance where all the actors have gone home, but the show goes on.

"We're waiting for an official explanation from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development," said municipal leader Margarita Voiciša. Meanwhile, former mayor Aleksandrs Bartaševičs is appealing everything he can appeal — the State Security Service decision, his suspension, and possibly even the fact that he doesn't have security clearance. Maybe he should also appeal the flow of time — then he could go back to when there were no problems yet.

"Rezekne resident" Valdis comments: "Well, at least now we have a mayor who can't hide anything because he doesn't have clearance for secrets." While Riga thinks about how to better draw lines on maps, Rezekne has created a new model — a city without a mayor, but with someone performing mayoral duties. The next step will likely be deputies without voting rights and a council without decisions.