“Enough covering for the system!” - new Saeima deputy wants to “get to the bottom” of the Academy of Sciences

After the scandal involving the granting of Latvian citizenship for special merits to an "academic" from India, the chair of long-time president of the Academy of Sciences Ivars Kalviņš has become shaky. Let us recall that it was Academician Kalviņš who "pushed through" the granting of citizenship to Ms. Vishwanath. The new Saeima deputy from the United List, Doctor of Medicine, renowned cardiologist Andris Skride, today called for radical changes in the work of the Latvian Academy of Sciences on the social network X: "The Latvian Academy of Sciences needs fundamental changes! It should not remain a closed club inherited from the Soviet era, where positions and influence are more important than actual achievements in science. As a deputy of the 15th Saeima, I will propose a comprehensive assessment of the activities of the LAS, its management, funding, and accountability for decisions made. Latvian science should be based on excellence, international competitiveness, and transparency, rather than on historical merits and mutual acquaintances. It is equally important to review the established practice of granting Latvian citizenship for special merits. In cases where violations are identified or deliberately false information is provided, the legal possibilities for revoking citizenship should also be considered. The Latvian Academy of Sciences is not an inviolable body! It is time to demand accountability, rather than continue to cover for a system that should have changed long ago.