Riga, Feb 11 (LETA) - Madona Vice Mayor Aigars Skels (Greens/Farmers/Latvian Association of Regions) has resigned after failing to obtain clearance for access to state secrets, TV3 reported on Wednesday.

He is the only vice mayor who has not been granted a security clearance.

He was responsible for the development of the municipality, territorial administration and municipal management. "I am not a vice mayor because I resigned as the vice mayor on January 15, the same day I found out I would be denied access to state secrets," said Skels.

The reason for the denial of access is known to Skels. He said he was ready to reveal it publicly, but only after he had informed his colleagues the following week.

Agris Lungevics (Greens/Farmers), the chairman of the Madona municipal council, said that he was surprised by this turn of events. "He is very loyal to the municipality, to the work that we have been doing together for 17 years," he said.

As reported, of the municipal leaders who had applied for state secrets clearance, only the chairman of the Rezekne City Council, Aleksandrs Bartasevics (Together for Latvia/Latvia First), and the outgoing mayor of Jurmala, Gatis Truksnis (Latvia's Green Party), were refused it, the State Security Service (VDD) said in early February. Egils Helmanis (National Alliance) left the post of chairman of the Ogre municipal council due, according to his own explanation, to health problems, and never submitted the documents for obtaining a security clearance.

The VDD continues to assess the eligibility of five deputy chairpersons of municipalities to work with state secrets.