{"id":1021025,"date":"2021-11-16T20:15:12","date_gmt":"2021-11-17T01:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1021025"},"modified":"2021-11-16T20:15:16","modified_gmt":"2021-11-17T01:15:16","slug":"parliament-bans-unvaccinated-lawmakers-from-voting-on-laws-getting-paid-in-latvia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/parliament-bans-unvaccinated-lawmakers-from-voting-on-laws-getting-paid-in-latvia\/","title":{"rendered":"Parliament Bans Unvaccinated Lawmakers From Voting On Laws, Getting Paid in Latvia"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fparliament-bans-unvaccinated-lawmakers-from-voting-on-laws-getting-paid-in-latvia%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1021025&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Latvia has voted to ban politicians from voting on laws, debating bills in person or virtually, or receiving their salary if they refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccination. The anti-democratic act of voter suppression led at least one U.S. public health authority to ask, \u201cWhy can\u2019t we be Latvia?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Baltic nation\u2019s 100-member parliament, known as the Saeima, barred elected lawmakers from having a voice in the nation\u2019s laws by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ntd.com\/latvia-bans-unvaccinated-lawmakers-from-meetings_700887.html\">62-7<\/a> vote on Friday. The legislation took effect on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Beginning November 15, a legislator \u201cwill be entitled to participate in the work of the Saeima only if he or she has presented an interoperable Covid-19 certificate confirming the fact of vaccination\u201d to the body\u2019s Mandate, Ethics, and Submissions Committee, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saeima.lv\/lv\/aktualitates\/saeimas-zinas\/30337-saeimas-un-pasvaldibu-domju-deputatiem-darba-pienakumu-veiksanai-bus-nepieciesams-vakcinacijas-pret-covid-19-vai-parslimosanas-sertifikats\">press release<\/a> from the governing body.<\/p>\n<p>The Saeima paraphrased the MP responsible for the law, Juris Ranc\u0101ns, as saying, \u201cthe law is necessary to promote public confidence in the country\u2019s Covid-19 infection control policy, institutions, including the Saeima.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ranc\u0101ns is a <a href=\"https:\/\/eng.lsm.lv\/article\/society\/society\/who-are-the-new-conservatives-new-mps.a296600\/\">member<\/a> of the New Conservative Party.<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers may also produce a certificate showing that they have recovered from COVID-19 or \u201can opinion from a specialist or council of a clinical university hospital\u201d suggesting \u201cthe postponement of vaccination\u201d for medical reasons, together with a negative COVID test. Everyone else must sit out legislative discussions, lose their ability to shape the nation\u2019s laws, and lose their vote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe payment of the monthly salary and compensation will be suspended for the Saeima deputy who will not be entitled to participate in the work of the parliament,\u201d the Saeima added.<\/p>\n<p>The law will remain in effect until July 2022, although the president of the Saeima will reexamine the law at least every other month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe measure also applies to local government lawmakers \u2026,\u201d Euronews <a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2021\/11\/12\/latvia-bans-unvaccinated-mps-from-voting-and-suspends-pay\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/news\/world\/articles\/2021-11-12\/latvia-bans-unvaccinated-lawmakers-from-voting-docks-pay\">Nine MPs<\/a> have refused, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/latvia-bans-unvaccinated-lawmakers-from-meetings\/2021\/11\/12\/50ecefb8-43c0-11ec-9404-50a28a88b9cd_story.html\">62 local lawmakers<\/a> have yet to receive their certificate of vaccination, according to regional media.<\/p>\n<p>In the United States, where vaccination rates have stalled, some public health officials said they would support similar measures for the United States.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLatvia bans unvaccinated lawmakers from voting in Parliament and in municipal councils. #whycantwebeLatvia?\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/drericding\/status\/1459197302745317380\">tweeted<\/a> epidemiologist Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an adjunct senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists and <a href=\"https:\/\/fas.org\/expert\/eric-feigl-ding\/\">previously<\/a> a researcher at Harvard Medical School. He also called the move \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/drericding\/status\/1459197886072344577\">bold<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The first business day after his tweet, NBC News <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/covid-surging-europe-experts-say-s-warning-us-rcna4666\">sought out and quoted Dr. Feigl-Ding<\/a> in a news story about Austria\u2019s \u201cnationwide lockdown for unvaccinated people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">HUGE\u2014Latvia \ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddfb bans unvaccinated lawmakers from<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Latvia has voted to ban politicians from voting on laws, debating bills in person or virtually, or receiving their salary if they refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccination. The anti-democratic act of voter suppression led at least one U.S. public health authority to ask, \u201cWhy can\u2019t we be Latvia?\u201dThe Baltic nation\u2019s 100-member parliament, known as the Saeima, barred elected lawmakers from having a voice in the nation\u2019s laws by a 62-7 vote on Friday. The legislation took effect on Monday.Beginning November 15, a legislator \u201cwill be entitled to participate in the work of the Saeima only if he or she has presented an interoperable Covid-19 certificate confirming the fact of vaccination\u201d to the body\u2019s Mandate, Ethics, and Submissions Committee, according to a press release from the governing body.The Saeima paraphrased the MP responsible for the law, Juris Ranc\u0101ns, as saying, \u201cthe law is necessary to promote public confidence in the country\u2019s Covid-19 infection control policy, institutions, including the Saeima.\u201dRanc\u0101ns is a member of the New Conservative Party.Lawmakers may also produce a certificate showing that they have recovered from COVID-19 or \u201can opinion from a specialist or council of a clinical university hospital\u201d suggesting \u201cthe postponement of vaccination\u201d for medical reasons, together with a negative COVID test. Everyone else must sit out legislative discussions, lose their ability to shape the nation\u2019s laws, and lose their vote.\u201cThe payment of the monthly salary and compensation will be suspended for the Saeima deputy who will not be entitled to participate in the work of the parliament,\u201d the Saeima added.The law will remain in effect until July 2022, although the president of the Saeima will reexamine the law at least every other month.\u201cThe measure also applies to local government lawmakers \u2026,\u201d Euronews reported.Nine MPs have refused, and 62 local lawmakers have yet to receive their certificate of vaccination, according to regional media.In the United States, where vaccination rates have stalled, some public health officials said they would support similar measures for the United States.\u201cLatvia bans unvaccinated lawmakers from voting in Parliament and in municipal councils. #whycantwebeLatvia?\u201d tweeted epidemiologist Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an adjunct senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists and previously a researcher at Harvard Medical School. He also called the move \u201cbold.\u201dThe first business day after his tweet, NBC News sought out and quoted Dr. Feigl-Ding in a news story about Austria\u2019s \u201cnationwide lockdown for unvaccinated people.\u201dHUGE\u2014Latvia \ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddfb bans unvaccinated lawmakers from voting in Parliament and in municipal councils. #whycantwebeLatvia? #vaccinate https:\/\/t.co\/CesBP4bySs\u2014 Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) November 12, 2021Journalist Amanda Rivkin of Germany\u2019s DW.com also worried that Latvia\u2019s anti-democratic action would do little to reduce \u201cintransigence when it comes to authority.\u201dDubious this will do much to solve the larger problem of not so much vaccine reluctance but intransigence when it comes to authority: Latvia bans unvaccinated lawmakers from voting, docks pay | Reuters https:\/\/t.co\/yOg0bwtkxN\u2014 Amanda Rivkin (@amandarivkin) November 13, 2021But Lativa\u2019s action also touched off an international backlash from people across the political spectrum. Max Blumenthal, a former Media Matters writer and the son of Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal, warned that it \u201c[m]ight be only a matter of time before ordinary citizens also begin to lose their right to vote for not taking a state-mandated medical intervention.\u201dLatvia, another NATO vassal state, decided yesterday to ban The Unvaccinated from voting in parliament. Might be only a matter of time before ordinary citizens also begin to lose their right to vote for not taking a state-mandated medical intervention. https:\/\/t.co\/WN2tBagttL https:\/\/t.co\/ky8NSAmmfq\u2014 Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) November 16, 2021\u201cIf the covid fascists are coming for elected politicians they\u2019ll be coming for ordinary people too,\u201d said conservative former UK Independence Party (UKIP) spokesman Paul Oakley. \u201cThis is becoming very, very ugly and is going to end very, very badly.\u201dWow. Latvia bans MPs from voting in parliament if unvaccinated and docks their pay. If the covid fascists are coming for elected politicians they&#8217;ll be coming for ordinary people too. This is becoming very, very ugly and is going to end very, very badly. https:\/\/t.co\/sapEQmudt7\u2014 Paul Oakley (@PaulJamesOakley) November 13, 2021The parliamentarian maneuver comes as Latvia enacts a \u201cgreen code\u201d that creates a two-tiered society between those with a vaccine passport and those without.\u201cAll services are provided with a Covid-19 certificate of vaccination or recovery, except for basic services\u201d like groceries and emergency health care, according to Latvia\u2019s official tourism portal. Most stores must close at 9 p.m., and the number of patrons is strictly regulated.\u201cStill think this is all about controlling a virus?\u201d asked Kezia Noble. \u201cNever was.\u201dStill think this is all about controlling a virus?Never was.https:\/\/t.co\/TasoXbbl0o\u2014 Kezia Noble (@kezia_noble) November 15, 2021The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a\u00a0member.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1021025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1021025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/76"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1021025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1021025\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1021025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1021025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1021025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}