RIGA, Feb 3 (LETA) - Ogre Municipality Council's opposition wants to hold talks with the ruling coalition before electing a new chairperson, nine opposition deputies told LETA.

Following Ogre Municipality Council Chairman Egils Helmanis' (National Alliance) resignation, an extraordinary council meeting will be held later on Tuesday, which the opposition deputies were not informed of, nor have they been informed about Helmanis' plans to step down. Opposition councilors emphasize that rushing such important decisions is unacceptable.

Ogre Municipality Council's opposition is calling for "open negotiations" to be launched on nomination of the next council chairman, as well as on revising the makeup of council's committees. They believe that "this is the right moment to return to a legal, transparent and good governance in Ogre, which has not been fully ensured under the previous mayor."

As reported, Egils Helmanis (National Alliance), chairman of the Ogre Municipality, has decided to resign from his position, according to his statement on Facebook.

Helmanis posted a video in which he says that he has once again been hospitalized and has therefore decided to step down after nearly nine years as chairman of Ogre Municipality, but that his team will continue to work to fulfill their promises.

The Health Inspectorate had checked the validity of sick notes issued to Helmanis. TV3 News reported on Monday that they were found to be justified, with no irregularities found on the part of the medical staff.

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.