Foto: BB.LV / Сейм Латвии
On the first working day of the 15th convocation of the Seym, Pāgor published a video on TikTok in which he spoke in Russian about the agenda of the first parliamentary meeting. On the same day, he, along with other deputies, took the solemn oath and received parliamentary powers. Currently, the video on Pāgor's account is no longer available, but copies continue to circulate on social media. According to the Speaker of the Seym and members of the presidium, the deputy's actions contradict the solemn promise enshrined in the Constitution for parliamentarians to strengthen the Latvian language as the sole state language. Moreover, they see a violation of paragraph 18 of the Seym Deputy Ethics Code, which obliges parliamentarians to communicate with each other and with Latvian society in the state language in the premises of the Seym, and to refrain from actions that could undermine the significance of the Latvian language. "The Latvian language is the foundation and value of our state, which every Seym deputy is obliged to respect, honor, and strengthen. The promise made to the people of Latvia has not only legal but also deep moral significance," said Smiltenš. The appeal contains a request to assess Pāgor's actions and, if a violation is established, to apply sanctions against him. The authors of the statement emphasize that deputies must uphold high standards of political culture and strengthen public trust in the parliament. The appeal was prepared by the Speaker of the Seym Edvards Smiltenš, his deputies Ināra Mūrniece (National Alliance) and Raimonds Vējonis (United List), the Secretary of the Seym Ramona Petraviča (Latvia First) and the Deputy Secretary Antonīna Nenaševa (Progressives).
