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Riga, June 16 (LETA) - The New Unity has nominated an MP, former Climate and Energy Minister Raimonds Cudars (New Unity) for the post of the Smart Administration and Regional Development Minister, Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) has announced.

"I invite Raimonds Cudars, a ministerial candidate nominated by New Unity, to be the Smart Administration and Regional Development Minister," she announced on the X website.

The prime minister also pointed out that Cudars has experience in local government as the long-serving mayor of Salaspils. He has worked both as a minister and as an MP, and has a good knowledge of the areas of the Smart Administration and Regional Development Ministry.

Silina and Cudars have agreed on priorities - the development of digital and artificial intelligence, the evaluation of the electoral process and preparations for the parliamentary elections, the strengthening of the eastern border and regional development.

Harijs Rokpelnis, the head of the Union of Greens and Farmers Saeima faction, told LETA that Cudars' candidacy has been evaluated positively. He said that it was currently it is not yet known whether the Greens/Farmers Saeima faction members were planning a separate meeting with Cudars.

Andris Suvajevs, the head of the Progressives' faction in the Saeima, told LETA that Progressives had a positive opinion of Cudars.

Suvajevs stressed that environmental protection policy will always be important for Progressives in the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development and that is what they expect from Cudars - clear and strict principles in environmental protection, promoting the conservation of natural values, biodiversity and climate goals.

"For the time being, we are not planning a separate meeting with him before the upcoming vote," Suvajevs added.

Edgars Tavars, head of the United List faction in the Saeima, told LETA that the faction would discuss Cudars' candidacy on Monday.

Linda Liepina, head of the opposition Latvia First faction in the Saeima, also said that Latvia Forst would still discuss Cudars' candidacy in the faction, but "will definitely not support it". As Liepina pointed out, "once again, chairs are being given to a person who is in a particular party". "I do not agree with this direction as such, we need to look for specialists who know the sector," the MP said.

LETA learned that Cudars' candidacy will be put forward for approval at the meeting of the Saeima on Thursday, June 19.

According to information in LETA's archives, Cudars was born in 1974. He graduated as a lawyer from the University of Latvia in 1996. From 2002 to 2009 he was a practicing lawyer.

In 2001, Cudars was elected to the Salaspils local council from the list of the Latvian Union of Farmers, and in 2005 he was elected to the Salaspils local Council from the list of the New Era.

In 2009, Cudars was elected to the Salaspils local council from the joint list of the New Era and For Fatherland and Freedom, and was elected as the chairman of the municipal council.

Cudars was also re-elected to the Salaspils local council in 2013, 2017 and 2021 from the Unity list, and held the position of the council chairman from 2009 to 2022.

In December 2022, the Saeima approved the second government led by Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins (New Unity), in which Cudars served as Minister of Climate and Energy.

As reported, Smart Administration and Regional Development Minister Inga Berzina (New Unity), resigned from her post after taking political responsibility for the problems during the local elections.