RIGA, April 27 (LETA) - Members of the Dundaga council on Tuesday called on the Environmental Protection and Regional Development Council to respect their decision not to elect a new chairperson. 

Responding to the ministry's instruction to elect a new chairperson by this Monday, the Dundaga councilors write in a letter to the ministry: "... we are asking to respect our choice to do our job and to not sacrifice it to a short-term and overpaid public duty". 

The local council also outlined its position on situations warranting a local council's dissolution, claiming repeated non-compliance with the law on the ministry's part. 

The Dundaga councilors also warned that if the council is sacked, the rights of the local government and residents of Dundaga will be seriously restricted. 

As reported, Environmental Protection and Regional Development Minister Arturs Toms Pless (For Development) has decided to initiate dissolution of the Dundaga regional council.

Since the Dundaga council has proven unable to elect a chairperson and vice-chair and has suggested in its reply to the ministry that it will make no further attempts to elect its leadership, the Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry will submit to the government a bill to dissolve the Dundaga council, Pless informed.

In its reply to the ministry, the Dundaga council indicates that it is not interested in electing a new chairperson at the moment because the lack of a chairperson has made decision-making smoother, as it is no longer necessary to debate each decision on committees and all decisions are taken at extraordinary meetings, without extensive debating.

The minister argued, though, that without political leadership, Dundaga residents' interests are not being protected in the decision-making process. A representative of the Dundaga region, for instance, cannot participate in the meetings of joint committees in the would-be Talsi region, which is being created as part of the administrative territorial reform.

Pless informed that the bill to dissolve the Dundaga council will be submitted to the government already at next week's Cabinet meeting and consultations with other ministries are under way to appoint an interim administration. Pless said he considers choosing an administrator from the ministry's officials.

According to the Law on Local Governments, to dissolve a local council, the Cabinet of Ministers has to adopt a bill which is then submitted to the Saeima for approval.

One of the provisions of the Law on Local Governments stipulates that the Saeima can dissolve a local council if it has not elected a chairperson, vice chairperson or standing committees two months after its first meeting or the resignation of the chairperson, vice chairperson or standing committees.

After the council's dissolution, the Saeima has to appoint an interim administration to run the given administrative territory until the next council is elected and takes office.

As reported, the local council of the western Latvian region of Dundaga on Monday missed its last opportunity to elect a new leadership.

Environmental Protection and Regional Development Minister Arturs Toms Pless (For Development/For) had ordered the Dundaga council to elect a new chairperson, warning that if the councilors fail to elect their new chair by April 26, he will ask the Saeima to decide on dissolving the Dundaga council.

As Pless' spokeswoman Agnese Varpina informed LETA, members of the Dundaga council did not explain to the minister the failure to elect a chairperson.

Pless will inform about his further steps on Tuesday, the spokeswoman said.

The Dundaga council has been without a chairman since January 28 due to the squabbles between the three regional parties represented on the local council.