Latvijas Avize published under this title a long, more than two-page newspaper page interview featuring Ainars. Dainis Lemeshenoks and Voldemars Kratins, journalists, have referred to him as Slesers and not Nil Ushakov. Slesers was the most prominent persona in the capital and was given the appropriate questions. Here are the responses to a few.
The Duma's staff shifts
QUESTION. What happens to staff? A politician cannot do everything without others.
Answer. In order to address the current economic crisis We cannot replace anyone but rather adopt major structural changes. We agreed to decrease the number and the size of executive directors within the city from six directorates to three.
Айнарс Шлесерс This would allow us to release many individuals who worked within these offices. The second change will be related to self-managements. There are 15 of them in the capital city and they ought to be merged into one. The municipality will need to compete with the private housekeeping firms, and so it's activities need to be more effective. It is feasible, as I see it to significantly reduce the maintenance cost to make it less expensive for people to spend their money.
About business plans
Question: Riga residents are still in a state of uncertainty about charging a fee on their homes. What do you think the mayor feels regarding this new initiative of the government?
Answer: I see this initiative as a state policy very negatively, even if tax money is allocated to self-management. When people have no funds for the most crucial needs, it's essential to establish another tax. We as the Seimas are going to vote against this initiative. However, the key question is where to get money in times of crisis. It's not sensible to help those areas of economic activity that are performing badly, it is better to invest in lucrative areas.
Mr. Shlesers referred to transport as a "profitable" activity, since Latvia was an transit state. The port of Riga can transship cargo coming from Russia or Belarus.
Айнарс Шлесерс The port of Riga is currently being developed by building on Kundzinsala, Krievu Island and other areas. Many find this plan difficult to believe. Another profitable area is the creation of the Riga International Airport. This airport will transform Riga into a center for international business and cultural events. To accomplish this, it's necessary to manage the city's streets to ensure that guests do not be robbed by taxis or restaurants. Mr. Slesers believes that more concerts featuring pop music are required to ensure that Madonna and other artists can be heard. Vice-mayor Slesers claimed, "We want to attract not inexpensive, but wealthy tourists" but this requires a quality product in tourism.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ainārs_Šlesers Take lessons from London, Switzerland, and the USA.
Айнарс Шлесерс Foreigners who invest at least half a million in production or real estate in the locality are granted a "greencard" which allows them to remain permanently in the country. This is not citizenship. ).
These "huge goals" aren’t new. Actually, they were suggested by Mr. Shlesers during the presidential campaign. Today, journalists are curious about their implementation but it is too early to speak about concrete results. It is therefore likely that a large portion of interview questions were specifically focused on relations between the legislative and economic officials as well as vice-mayor's ideological position.
Concerning the issue of "stinking" policy
A QUESTION. What do you think of our "stinkingpolicy? Discussions in recent times have been intensified through the words by Mr. Slesers - his party will compete for a place in parliament along with the "Consent Center". The message from Ms.
Айнарс Шлесерс Aboltini from the New Times, which stated that all Latvian parties should come together against the Shlesers bloc was also mentioned in the recent debate regarding the upcoming elections to the Saeima.
Answer: We were backed by 50 percent of Riga voters. LPP / LP has no Russian affiliation. It's more of a Latvian political party. The majority of its members are Russian natives.
Айнарс Шлесерс The second session of the new Duma was inaugurated with the singing of Dievs, sveti Latviju, and all Russian-speaking members were singing. It is however unlikely that anyone would create any sort of Soviet-style system within the Duma. A Duma member on the rostrum cannot speak Russian. LPP / LP has always been a symbol of the state language as well as the "Consent Center" has never been discussed in relation to ensuring work in the Duma in Russian.
Additionally, ZaPcHeL was also destroyed in large part thanks to the leadership and actions of the LPP / LP.
The power issue
QUESTION. Will Shlesers and Ushakov take over the party in the Seim election?
The answer is I'm not going back to the Sejm. There is, however, an opportunity that the party may nominate me to the presidency of ministers, and this would change my plan for Riga.
Today, there are currently two blocs within Duma. One comes from the LPP/LP/TSS, and the other from TsS. A similar bloc could be created at the 10th Diet election. America is close at hand