RIGA, Feb 3 (LETA) - Andris Krauja (National Alliance), the former deputy of Egils Helmanis (National Alliance), who on Tuesday resigned as mayor of Ogre Municipality, was today elected the new chairman of the Ogre Municipal Council.

Krauja was elected Ogre mayor by 14 votes, while one councilor voted against him and two abstained. Of the 23 members of the Ogre Municipal Council, 17 attended the council meeting on Tuesday.

Krauja was the only candidate for the office vacated by Helmanis. Opposition councilor Dace Klavina (New Unity) had nominated Gints Sivins (National Alliance) for the post, but Sivins withdrew his nomination.

As reported, an extraordinary meeting of the Ogre Municipal Council was called on Tuesday to elect a new chairman and his deputy after Helmanis announced his resignation.

It was also reported that the Health Inspectorate had checked the validity of sick notes issued to Helmanis, who has been on sick leave for many months. TV3 News reported on Monday that they were found to be justified, with no irregularities found on the part of the medical staff who issued the sick notes.

On January 29, the Ogre Municipal Council met for the first time in a long time under the chairmanship of Helmanis. At the beginning of the session, Helmanis announced that he had returned to his duties as chairman of the council.

Helmanis was elected mayor of Ogre Municipality on June 27, 2025, following elections held last summer. Less than a month later, on July 16, the council's public relations representatives announced that Helmanis had been injured in a shooting incident in Ukraine the day before, without providing further details on the circumstances of the incident and the damage to his health.

After the incident, Helmanis was on sick leave and for a long time was the only Latvian municipal leader who had not applied for security clearance necessary to access restricted information, while promising to fill out the necessary form for the clearance "as soon as he recovered".

However, opposition members of the Ogre Municipal Council questioned the validity of the sick leave, as the politician was also seen at Town Hall and on television during his official incapacity. The opposition also unsuccessfully sought Helmanis' replacement on the grounds of his prolonged absence.