RIGA – A group of progressives concerned about the future of Latvia has announced the creation of a new nonprofit organization that will focus on facilitating more transparency and popular involvement in politics.

Founders said that The Meierovics Society for Progressive Change will “aim to unite people who care for Latvia’s future and are ready to devote their time, energy and knowledge to enhance the quality of politics in Latvia.”

The organization will be led by former Diena editor-in-chief Sarmīte Ēlerte, and include former European Parliament member and [private_supervisor]foreign minister Georgs Andrejevs, Ojārs Kalniņš, head of the Latvian Institute, and Lolita Čigane, head of the local affiliate of Transparency International, Delna.

Zigfrīds Meierovics was the first foreign minister of Latvia after independence in 1918. He was instrumental in raising Latvia’s profile on the international stage in the earlier years of the republic, including a two-year stint as prime minister. Tragically, he died in a car accident at the age of 38.

“We have united in this society to ensure necessary and good change in Latvia. At the beginning of the twentieth century our predecessors managed to build a modern European state. Now we must manage to do the same,” the nonprofit’s founders said in a statement.

“We are ready to devote our time and energy to make Latvia a dynamic, confident and respectable Western country of the twenty-first century. We have united in this society to improve politics in our country. Politics is not and must not be a trade of a small circle of politicians,” they said.

One of the founders of Latvia’s premier daily newspaper Diena, Ēlerte has become increasingly engaged in public life as Latvia struggles with its worst recession since independence — and the worst in the European Union. She recently joined the newly formed Unity union together with an eclectic mix of parties that, other than a common stance against corruption and graft in Latvian politics, have little in common.

Still, Unity is aiming to become one of the largest parties in the next Saeima, which will be formed after the October elections. Andrejevs, who for years was member of Latvia’s Way but later quit in protest, was quoted as saying that the nonprofit would not be transformed into a political party.

Kalniņš told BNS that the Meierovics society had very few seasoned politicians, Social Democratic Ātis Lejiņš being one, and that it will unite honest and intelligent people.

Curiously, the website’s address is www.lietussargs.lv. The word lietussargs means “umbrella” in Latvian, an image that harks back to the umbrella protest in 2008 when thousands gathered outside Parliament in the rain to demonstrate against the government’s decision to fire a popular anti-corruption crusader. It was the largest protest in post-independence Latvia and led to the downfall of the Cabinet of then Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis.

The demonstration had been called for by, among others, the Diena newspaper, which fought tooth and nail against the business interests that colluded to fire the anti-corruption prosecutor. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]foreign minister Georgs Andrejevs, Ojārs Kalniņš, head of the Latvian Institute, and Lolita Čigane, head of the local affiliate of Transparency International, Delna.

Zigfrīds Meierovics was the first foreign minister of Latvia after independence in 1918. He was instrumental in raising Latvia’s profile on the international stage in the earlier years of the republic, including a two-year stint as prime minister. Tragically, he died in a car accident at the age of 38.

“We have united in this society to ensure necessary and good change in Latvia. At the beginning of the twentieth century our predecessors managed to build a modern European state. Now we must manage to do the same,” the nonprofit’s founders said in a statement.

“We are ready to devote our time and energy to make Latvia a dynamic, confident and respectable Western country of the twenty-first century. We have united in this society to improve politics in our country. Politics is not and must not be a trade of a small circle of politicians,” they said.

One of the founders of Latvia’s premier daily newspaper Diena, Ēlerte has become increasingly engaged in public life as Latvia struggles with its worst recession since independence — and the worst in the European Union. She recently joined the newly formed Unity union together with an eclectic mix of parties that, other than a common stance against corruption and graft in Latvian politics, have little in common.

Still, Unity is aiming to become one of the largest parties in the next Saeima, which will be formed after the October elections. Andrejevs, who for years was member of Latvia’s Way but later quit in protest, was quoted as saying that the nonprofit would not be transformed into a political party.

Kalniņš told BNS that the Meierovics society had very few seasoned politicians, Social Democratic Ātis Lejiņš being one, and that it will unite honest and intelligent people.

Curiously, the website’s address is www.lietussargs.lv. The word lietussargs means “umbrella” in Latvian, an image that harks back to the umbrella protest in 2008 when thousands gathered outside Parliament in the rain to demonstrate against the government’s decision to fire a popular anti-corruption crusader. It was the largest protest in post-independence Latvia and led to the downfall of the Cabinet of then Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis.

The demonstration had been called for by, among others, the Diena newspaper, which fought tooth and nail against the business interests that colluded to fire the anti-corruption prosecutor. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]foreign minister Georgs Andrejevs, Ojārs Kalniņš, head of the Latvian Institute, and Lolita Čigane, head of the local affiliate of Transparency International, Delna.

Zigfrīds Meierovics was the first foreign minister of Latvia after independence in 1918. He was instrumental in raising Latvia’s profile on the international stage in the earlier years of the republic, including a two-year stint as prime minister. Tragically, he died in a car accident at the age of 38.

“We have united in this society to ensure necessary and good change in Latvia. At the beginning of the twentieth century our predecessors managed to build a modern European state. Now we must manage to do the same,” the nonprofit’s founders said in a statement.

“We are ready to devote our time and energy to make Latvia a dynamic, confident and respectable Western country of the twenty-first century. We have united in this society to improve politics in our country. Politics is not and must not be a trade of a small circle of politicians,” they said.

One of the founders of Latvia’s premier daily newspaper Diena, Ēlerte has become increasingly engaged in public life as Latvia struggles with its worst recession since independence — and the worst in the European Union. She recently joined the newly formed Unity union together with an eclectic mix of parties that, other than a common stance against corruption and graft in Latvian politics, have little in common.

Still, Unity is aiming to become one of the largest parties in the next Saeima, which will be formed after the October elections. Andrejevs, who for years was member of Latvia’s Way but later quit in protest, was quoted as saying that the nonprofit would not be transformed into a political party.

Kalniņš told BNS that the Meierovics society had very few seasoned politicians, Social Democratic Ātis Lejiņš being one, and that it will unite honest and intelligent people.

Curiously, the website’s address is www.lietussargs.lv. The word lietussargs means “umbrella” in Latvian, an image that harks back to the umbrella protest in 2008 when thousands gathered outside Parliament in the rain to demonstrate against the government’s decision to fire a popular anti-corruption crusader. It was the largest protest in post-independence Latvia and led to the downfall of the Cabinet of then Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis.

The demonstration had been called for by, among others, the Diena newspaper, which fought tooth and nail against the business interests that colluded to fire the anti-corruption prosecutor. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]foreign minister Georgs Andrejevs, Ojārs Kalniņš, head of the Latvian Institute, and Lolita Čigane, head of the local affiliate of Transparency International, Delna.

Zigfrīds Meierovics was the first foreign minister of Latvia after independence in 1918. He was instrumental in raising Latvia’s profile on the international stage in the earlier years of the republic, including a two-year stint as prime minister. Tragically, he died in a car accident at the age of 38.

“We have united in this society to ensure necessary and good change in Latvia. At the beginning of the twentieth century our predecessors managed to build a modern European state. Now we must manage to do the same,” the nonprofit’s founders said in a statement.

“We are ready to devote our time and energy to make Latvia a dynamic, confident and respectable Western country of the twenty-first century. We have united in this society to improve politics in our country. Politics is not and must not be a trade of a small circle of politicians,” they said.

One of the founders of Latvia’s premier daily newspaper Diena, Ēlerte has become increasingly engaged in public life as Latvia struggles with its worst recession since independence — and the worst in the European Union. She recently joined the newly formed Unity union together with an eclectic mix of parties that, other than a common stance against corruption and graft in Latvian politics, have little in common.

Still, Unity is aiming to become one of the largest parties in the next Saeima, which will be formed after the October elections. Andrejevs, who for years was member of Latvia’s Way but later quit in protest, was quoted as saying that the nonprofit would not be transformed into a political party.

Kalniņš told BNS that the Meierovics society had very few seasoned politicians, Social Democratic Ātis Lejiņš being one, and that it will unite honest and intelligent people.

Curiously, the website’s address is www.lietussargs.lv. The word lietussargs means “umbrella” in Latvian, an image that harks back to the umbrella protest in 2008 when thousands gathered outside Parliament in the rain to demonstrate against the government’s decision to fire a popular anti-corruption crusader. It was the largest protest in post-independence Latvia and led to the downfall of the Cabinet of then Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis.

The demonstration had been called for by, among others, the Diena newspaper, which fought tooth and nail against the business interests that colluded to fire the anti-corruption prosecutor. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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