Daugavpils Municipality Council Member Hrapāns Could Lose His Office

For failing to use the official language at the first level of the highest proficiency tier, Daugavpils Municipality Council member Valērijs Hrapāns (S) could be forced to lose his council mandate, the LETA news agency learned from the State Language Centre (VVC).

In response to a submission, the VVC established last summer that Hrapāns was not using the official language at the level prescribed by legislation, namely, the first level of the highest proficiency tier. Having recorded this discrepancy, the VVC called on Hrapāns to improve his language skills within six months.

After the specified period, the VVC re-examined the council member’s language skills and established that Hrapāns still was not using the Latvian language at the level prescribed by legislation. This means that, within one month of the decision to hold the person administratively liable, the VVC will be obliged to apply to the court seeking the annulment of Hrapāns’s council mandate.

Under the Law on the Status of Members of City Councils of the Republic and Municipality Councils, a council member’s mandate may be annulled by a judgment of a regional court if the member’s knowledge of the official language does not correspond to the prescribed proficiency level.

If the VVC establishes that a council member’s knowledge of the official language does not correspond to the proficiency level prescribed by the Cabinet of Ministers, the centre must inform the council member in writing and invite them to learn the official language. The council member is obliged to acquire the official language at the required level within six months.

After the specified deadline expires, the person’s proficiency in the official language is assessed. If the council member fails to appear for the proficiency assessment again, or if it is established again that their language skills are inadequate, the VVC is obliged to submit a claim to the regional court seeking the annulment of the council member’s mandate.

As reported, following a repeated assessment of the use of the official language, a decision was adopted concerning former Daugavpils Mayor Rihards Eigims ("Our Party"), finding that he did not possess the level of the official language required for carrying out his professional duties. This decision has been challenged in Daugavpils Court. Following a court judgment finding that Eigims’s level of use of the official language is insufficient, the VVC will apply to the court seeking the annulment of his council mandate.