RIGA, March 27 (LETA) - The Rezekne City Council on Friday decided against electing a new mayor, although the election had been put on the meeting's agenda.

At the beginning of the council meeting, acting mayor Janis Tutins (Together for Latvia/LPV) proposed removing the mayoral election from the agenda in order not to create "legal cases".

Margarita Voicisa, head of the municipality's central administration, said that the local government has consulted with the Smart Administration and Regional Development Ministry, which had said that there was no need to elect a new mayor, as current Mayor Aleksandrs Bartasevics (Together for Latvia/LPV) has been suspended but not dismissed, and that he has appealed his suspension in court. Also, the mayoral duties are transferred to Tutins.

The local government, however, is still awaiting an official clarification from the Smart Administration and Regional Development Ministry.

As reported, Smart Administration and Regional Development Minister Raimonds Cudars (New Unity) suspended Bartasevics as Rezekne mayor after he failed to receive security clearance for access to classified information.

Cudars explains that the suspension should not be considered a penalty or a final decision on termination of employment. If the decision to deny Bartasevics security clearance is found to be unlawful on appeal, he will be able to resume his duties as soon as he obtains security clearance. If not, Bartasevics will have to leave office, as he will no longer meet the legal requirements to work as Rezekne mayor.

In this particular case, suspension from office is an instrument to ensure uninterrupted and lawful functioning of the municipality, preventing a situation in which an official formally holds office but is, in fact, unable to perform all the functions associated with it, as well as protecting public and national security interests until a final decision on the security clearance is taken, explains the minister.

Cudars' decree also includes an explanation provided by Bartasevics, which says that Bartasevics, in his capacity as mayor of Rezekne, has not violated any external laws or regulations. Bartasevics also confirms that he will appeal the State Security Service's decision to the prosecutor general and, if necessary, appeal the prosecutor general's decision to the Administrative Regional Court.

In his explanation, Bartasevics points out that the minister has to prove the reasonableness of his decision to suspend him as mayor of Rezekne.

Bartasevics argues that neither the provisions of the Local Government Law nor other laws provide that the chairperson of a city council cannot perform his or her duties if the person has not obtained security clearance.