President Andris Berzins

It is impolite for the President of Latvia Andris Berzins who, according to the last year’s state official’s declaration, saved up LVL 1.76 million to propose initiatives about the ex-presidents’ privileges, researcher of the Providus Social Politics Center Iveta Kazoka believes.

«Mr. Berzins is not exactly the kind of President who should be proposing such initiatives. If there was a president in his place who actually had something to lose after the end of his/her term, then it would have been a different case», – Kazoka says.

The expert notes that the practice of offering minimal privileges for ex-presidents is used in many democratic states, because it would be an odd situation if the head of the state became an unemployed person and had to look for a place to live and remained with no money to support himself after his term is up. «The question of state prestige and issues of elementary reason should be carefully weighted», – the researcher noted.

Berzins has come up with the initiative which would reduce those privileges which are lawfully offered to the head of the state after the end of his term. The President admits that he does not see any reason for these privileges, which he himself does not need.

It is worth noting that Berins income has not been affected by his regular donations to Latvian schools. His last year’s income was LVL 360 758, savings – LVL 1.76 million, and another LVL 1.01 million in loans, according to the State Revenue Service Public Database of officials’ declarations for 2011.

Ref: 102.109.109.1286