RIGA, Nov 15 (LETA) - The mandates of nearly one third of Rezekne City Council members were suspended on Monday after the councilors failed to present Covid-19 certificates.

Already last weekend, Lidija Ostapceva (Harmony) lost her job as Rezekne vice mayor for education, culture and social issues. Although she is said to have left the position on her own accord, on Monday her mandate was also suspended as Ostapceva has declared that she has no plans to take the Covid-19 vaccine. 

Mandates have also been suspended for councilors Inara Groce (Latgales Partija, National Alliance, Latvian Green Party, New Unity, Latvian Association of Regions), Kristine Kokorevica (Harmony) and Olga Strode (Harmony). Strode had not been vaccinated because of medical reasons but is now planning to take the jab. Groce and Kokorevica have started their immunization course and might receive their Covid-19 certificates at the end of November. 

Harmony, the ruling party in Rezekne, has eight members on the city council. The mandates of three of them have now been suspended.

Only councilors with interoperable Covid-19 certificates took part in the city council's extraordinary meeting on Monday.

As reported, the mandates of local council members that have not been vaccinated for Covid-19 are being suspended as of November 15 in accordance with a bill on temporary additional requirements for Saeima and local council members, which the Saeima passed in the final reading last Friday.

From November 15, 2021, only councilors that have obtained Covid-19 certificates of vaccination or recovery from Covid-19 or councilors who have been recognized unfit for vaccination on medical grounds will have the rights to exercise their lawmakers' mandate.

Local elections commissions will report at the next meetings of local councils on which councilors have failed to obtain the required certificates.

The mandates of the local council members that will not have obtained Covid-19 certificates by November 15 will be suspended. Fully vaccinated candidates with the next highest number of votes will replace the suspended councilors.

The suspended councilors will still be able to return to their respective local or regional councils if they undergo a full vaccination course.