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At the end of this January, two years will have passed since the Saeima established its Visitor and Information Centre. After the Centre was opened, the number of people visiting the parliament has increased considerably.

“People elect the national parliament once every four years, but society should maintain a link with the legislature also in the period between elections. It is important to make sure that MPs know society’s opinion and that society has a chance to express its opinion to the parliament directly. The Visitor Centre is fulfilling this particular task, and I invite everyone to take advantage of it,” stresses Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima.

The Speaker notes that the parliament should become more open; that is why this year the Saeima will host not only traditional events, such as Job Shadow Day, Open Door Day and a joint forum with NGOs, but also a new initiative, namely, Youth Parliament, which will be held in early June.

Gundars Daudze, Deputy Speaker, also commends the work of the Centre. He assumes that “most of our staff members, MPs and people who opt to contact the parliament directly do not believe that the Centre has been open for only two years because it has become an integral part of the parliament.” He says that the Visitor Centre bridges the gap between society and the parliament; it is the place where the parliament routinely demonstrates its openness in practice. The fact that hundreds of people visit the Centre every month proves that the decision to create the Centre was a correct one, believes Daudze, who as the Speaker of the previous convocation actively supported the need for such a centre.

Before the Centre was opened, only approximately 150 people annually addressed the Saeima in person with their suggestions. During the last two years almost 6,000 visitors, including individuals and representatives of various organisations, have addressed the Centre in person. Since the establishment of the Centre, the Saeima has received around 11,000 submissions covering a wide variety of needs – for example, legislative initiatives, requests, proposals, opinions, information requests and complaints. About 3,000 calls have been made to the Centre’s hotline.

The Visitor and Information Centre is an important communication link between the Latvian parliament and inhabitants. It receives submissions from individuals, arranges meetings with MPs, and answers questions about the activity of the parliament. Inside the Centre, visitors can also obtain informative materials and view multimedia presentations about the Saeima, its history and work.

Since its establishment, the Centre has held various exhibitions featuring works of emerging artists, as well as charity events, press conferences, public discussions and meetings of MPs with inhabitants.

The Saeima opened the Centre on 29 January 2009 in order to enhance parliamentary dialogue with society and encourage involvement of individuals in the work of the Saeima.

The Visitor and Information Centre is located in Riga on Jēkaba iela 16 (entrance from Trokšņu iela). It receives visitors on weekdays from 9:00 to 16:30. To enter the Centre, no pass is needed. People can receive answers to their questions not only in person but also by phoning the Saeima hotline at +371 67087321 or e-mailing at info@saeima.lv.

Video about the work of the Centre: https://www.youtube.com/user/SaeimaSAB#p/a/u/0/PqGWUUIR18Y
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157625922927162/
When using the material, please give credit to the Saeima Chancellery.

Saeima Press Service