The National Alliance plans to win the upcoming Riga City Council elections and hopes to get a majority of votes, its candidate for Riga Mayor Edvards Ratnieks told LETA in an interview. Although the latest party ratings do not suggest that the National Alliance could win more than half or 31 seats in the city council, Ratnieks is optimistic about the votes of undecided voters. In Riga, as in the rest of Latvia, municipal elections will take place on June 7, and 740 candidates from 16 political forces are running for the 60 seats on the Riga City Council.

Thinking about the next Riga City Council coalition, what are your red lines? Which parties will you not work with?

With us it is very simple, it is a security issue for Latvia - we will not cooperate with pro-Kremlin parties - Stability, Harmony, Sovereign Power, etc.

Do you also count Latvia First as a pro-Kremlin party?

We do not see a possibility to work in a coalition where Ainars Slesers (Latvia First) is the mayor of Riga. That is completely out of the question.

Are you ready to work in the same coalition with Latvia First if Slesers is not the mayor?

We will only work in a coalition in which the coalition partners support all our national issues. We have had major hitches with this, also in cooperation with supposedly Latvian-oriented parties. We had difficulties, for example, with renaming of streets, immigration and the Russian schools, and even now we see a difference of opinions on the issue of immigrants. We are confident in ourselves, with our own backbone. We are going for victory, and we are ready to lead the Riga City Council. I know that the National Alliance has been accused of being a second-tier player, but this time we are not going to be on the leash of other parties, because we want to take the reins into our own hands.

At the same time, according to the ratings, the National Alliance is not likely to win 31 seats and a coalition will have to be formed.

It should be borne in mind that 40 percent of voters have not yet made their choice or will not vote at all. That is a huge number. We are also seeing a lot of dissatisfaction with the government in which the National Alliance is not participating. We see ourselves as an alternative that stands for Latvian values from start to finish. Our main concern is whether everyone in the coalition will adhere to our Latvian values. In the next coalition agreement, we will not make concessions on security, national and Latvian issues.

What about cooperation with Progressives?

One of the objectives of Progressives was to give non-citizens the right to vote in municipal elections. In Riga, only 60 percent of the population is Latvian. The small proportion of Latvians has been decisive in the times when Usakovs was elected. That is why the National Alliance sees itself as a real alternative to those who only claim to be Latvian. Recently, Progressives offered to sign a memorandum, saying that we would dissociate ourselves from the pro-Kremlin parties, but two hours later Progressives voted twice in the Riga City Council for decisions together with the Latvian Union of Russians, Jakovs Pliners and Harmony.

What will be your main priorities in the Riga City Council?

For us, it is very important making Riga Latvian and defend national interests - to stop the wave of migration into Latvia and Riga from the third countries, by creating a smart city policy based on preserving Latvia and Riga for Latvians, protecting the language and culture. Also, the economic development of the capital, because at the moment, unfortunately, we see that Riga is lagging behind economically. The National Alliance also believes that the Law on the Local Government Equalization Fund should be changed. We are the only ones who have had the courage to say that this must be done. The current equalization procedure has led to Riga falling behind. The tax money that could be spent on the development of the city is going elsewhere, and Riga is short of funds.

Where will you look for investors? Which are the target countries?

The target countries are in the West, countries that are also important for us in attracting tourists, for example with cruise ships. The big tourism fairs are held in the US, where the presence of the political leadership of the cities is very important. It is important to participate in all international tourism events, where the municipality is already participating, for example in France, in order to boost Riga's economy.

What would be your main arguments for investors to invest in Riga instead of Vilnius or Tallinn?

Riga has many advantages. We have a port, an airport very close to the center. Riga has several industrially developable areas where there has been industry, such as Ganibu Dambis, which has historically been an industrial area. We see a great opportunity to attract investors through young talents. What we are doing now and will continue to do is to invest targeted funding in science and technology centers, developing state-of-the-art science classrooms that will create interest in these fields among young people. This is a good basis for attracting investors and further developing manufacturing. Riga's potential has not yet been fully exploited in the creation of so-called start-up houses. Riga has a fantastic so-called academic mile in Pardaugava, consisting of three universities and the National Library of Latvia. It is a fantastic platform for young people to meet investors.

Speaking of investments, how do you see the development of Andrejosta and the so-called Waterfront project?

I do not see the possibility of the municipality contributing to this project. I know that, formally, at the moment, the only thing that is being asked of the municipality is the construction of a tram line to the new passenger port. That might be possible, but I do not see any other municipal support for this project. I see municipal support for the development of neighborhoods, the areas that have been neglected. So far, the ruling parties in Riga have looked very actively towards the center, but the people of Riga who live in the neighborhoods often feel forgotten. That is why it is the neighborhoods that need to be developed.

What is your opinion on the possible construction of a football stadium in Lucavsala?

Riga definitely needs a football stadium, as Riga is lagging behind Vilnius and Tallinn in this respect. A football stadium would be not only for sports, but also for cultural events, such as large concerts. This would attract even more tourists. It should be stressed that the municipality has not made any promises to build the stadium with the money of the citizens of Riga. Absolutely not.

So, Riga City Council will not contribute to the construction of the football stadium?

The Riga City Council does not have the funds.

How do you see the future development of Skanste neighborhood?

Skanste is one of those areas where it is possible to develop private housing. Skanste, Rumbula, Darzini - these are places where private housing can be built. It was the development of private houses that gave Vilnius its extra population. One of the reasons why people from Riga move to the Pieriga is that they want green spaces and their own private houses. We have two pilot projects - in Bukulti and Kengarags. According to 2021 data, there are about 54,000 vacant apartments in Riga. This means that people have either moved to the Pieriga region or somewhere further away. This means that there is no shortage of apartments in Riga. The housing problem could be attributed to young professionals, including police officers, teachers, social workers, who need municipal rental apartments.

Speaking about the Old Town of Riga. Everyone says that the Old Town is empty and lifeless . Do you see a way to attract people to the Old Town, to make it more alive?

The Old Town has to deal with noise, but people live there too. Businesses have pointed out that there is a need for parking spaces in the historic center so that people can easily come, shop, etc. Does this have to be at the expense of the green space? Absolutely not. Beautiful multi-storeyed car parks can be created which fit well into the urban environment with their green and architecturally attractive design. Sports and cultural events should also be actively considered. I think that the center of Riga could become a gathering place for people at the weekend, as it is in other European capitals. As soon as an event takes place, both the center and the Old Town come alive.

In relation to property tax, the urban development department has repeatedly pointed out that paying the so-called slum tax is more convenient than renovating a property, as the tax increases considerably after renovation. Would not changes such as tax rebates be needed some time after the investment in renovation to make it profitable?

On my initiative, a zero rate was introduced for investment in slums. That is to say, if a historic building is renovated, no infrastructure tax is payable. The Riga City Council also offers co-financing for the renovation of building facades. I also see the possibility of reducing property tax in case of renovations.

For pleasant living in the center of Riga, transport flow should be eased. How to move people transfer from private to public transport?

I have already mentioned that businesses need parking spaces. This requires private-public partnerships for multi-storeyed car parks. It is impossible to give up private transport at the moment, but pedestrians and public transport must be the priority. At the same time, public transport needs huge investment. I think that there is a need to connect the neighborhoods by public transport. The initiative to create mobility points or parking lots is a very good one, and I sincerely believe that rail can be the backbone of traffic in Riga. The city center can be reached faster by train. If there are parking lots not only in Riga, but also in the Pieriga region, this will give an extra boost. We are also planning to introduce a single ticket for trains and public transport in passenger train zone A, which will cost EUR 2 and will be for two means of transport. We will see how it works.

The painful issue is the insulation of buildings, where Riga lags far behind other cities. Since the insulation of buildings is primarily the responsibility and choice of the apartment owners, can the municipality stimulate this and how?

We see that investments are needed for buildings located in the city's neighborhoods. People are afraid to make big financial commitments. The municipality's role should primarily be to explain the benefits of insulating buildings to the residents. The municipality could also help people to write project applications.

The advantage of insulation is that European co-funding is available. But what to do with the Soviet-era houses that need, for example, repairs of the foundation or balconies?

There is municipal co-financing available, which is also used by a small part of residents. But overall, this will be a very big problem in a few years' time. We see the solution to this problem as being to be able to give these buildings a second life by using modern technology and innovation. That is why it should definitely be one of the priorities of the municipality in the next term of office.

What should be changed in the Law on the Local Government Equalization Fund?

Currently, Riga contributes almost EUR 140 million, or 70 percent of the fund's total. The state contributes only EUR 50 million. This should not be the case. Riga's huge and disproportionate contributions are the money that is being taken away from Riga's development. This is a great injustice. The mechanism must be revised by reducing the city's contribution. If the state wants to support the regions, then let it do so, but not at the expense of Riga. We have calculated that if the state invests EUR 1 in the development of Riga, it will get back at least EUR 3 in its budget, and a part of this benefit could be channeled into the development of other municipalities. Riga could contribute to the equalization fund with its own contributions, but these should be proportionate, certainly not as high as at present.