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On Friday, 27 June, at the first meeting of the new term of the Riga City Council, Viesturs Kleinbergs, the member of the faction "Progressives", was elected as the Mayor of the capital.
34 MEPs voted in favour and 22 against the candidacy of V. Kleinbergs.
"I will be a mayor for all the citizens of Riga - not just for supporters of my party or coalition, but for everyone who cares about the future of our city. Riga deserves a leadership that knows how to listen, is able to negotiate and is not afraid to take decisions. I believe that we will work together so that the citizens of Riga can be proud of their city - not just as a place where we work, but as a home where we want to stay, raise our families and build our future. Many thanks to the voters for their trust and to the coalition partners for the agreement – our work begins today!" says Viesturs Kleinbergs, the newly elected Mayor of Riga.
V. Kleinbergs is a social expert with more than 20 years of experience in state and local government administration. He has been a member of the Riga City Council since 2020, and was previously the Head of the Social Affairs Committee of Riga City Council.
For almost ten years he managed the service of social services of the association "Latvian Samaritans' Association", as well as he worked as an expert on social issues in the development of deinstitutionalisation plans in the planning regions of Latgale and Vidzeme - "Dynamic University".
From 2010 to 2013, V. Kleinbergs worked in the Welfare Department of the Riga Municipality, and previously at the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs, where he held the positions of the Head of the Minister's Office and Head of the Policy Coordination Division.
He holds a Master's degree in Communication Studies, a Professional Master's degree in Social Work and a qualification as a social worker, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Political Science, all from the University of Latvia.
V. Kleinbergs will be the 13th President of the Capital City Council since the restoration of Latvia's independence in 1990.
Information was prepared by Mārtiņš Vilemsons, Project Coordinator at External Communication Division of Riga City Council Communication Department, e-mail: martins.vilemsons@riga.lv.
