RIGA, June 25 (LETA) - Most of the leading members of the Riga City Council saw their approval ratings drop in the first half of this year, according to a poll conducted by the SKDS research center on behalf of the Riga City Council.

Meanwhile, only three Riga councilors saw their popularity rise in May compared to November 2025.

Marta Kotello (Progressives), chair of the Riga City Council Spatial Planning and Mobility Committee, experienced the sharpest drop in her approval rating, which fell from 2.4 to minus 11.3, a drop of 13.7 points. Kotello currently has the lowest rating among leading members of the city council.

Girts Lapins (National Alliance), chair of the Security, Public Order and Anti-Corruption Committee, has also lost popularity in recent months. His rating has fallen by 8.6 percentage points and stands at minus 6.6.

The third sharpest drop in ratings was recorded for Deputy Mayor Edvards Ratnieks (National Alliance). His approval rating has fallen by 7.1 percentage points to minus 7.1.

Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs (Progressives) has seen his rating drop by 6.9 percentage points to 2.2.

The approval rating of City Property Committee chair Dainis Locs (National Alliance) was minus 1.2 in May. This politician has seen his popularity drop by 3.7 percentage points compared to the poll results from last fall.

The approval rating of Edgars Bergholcs (United List), chair of the City Development Committee, has fallen from 2.6 to minus 1, a drop of 3.6 percentage points.

The approval rating of Elina Treija (National Alliance), chair of the Housing and Environment Committee, has fallen by 1.1 percentage points to 1.7.

Inese Andersone (New Unity), chair of the Social Matters Committee, maintained a positive approval rating in the latest poll, at 1.9. However, she too has experienced a slight drop in her rating, by 0.7 percentage points.

Deputy Mayor Vilnis Kirsis (New Unity) has seen the biggest rise in popularity. His rating has increased by 7.1 percentage points since last fall and now stands at 2.

Deputy Mayor Maris Sprindzuks' rating has risen by 3.3 percentage points to 0.8.

Laima Geikina (New Unity), chair of the Education, Culture and Sports Committee, is the most positively rated politician among Riga City Council's leading members. Her rating has increased by 0.4 percentage points since last fall and now stands at 2.9.

The survey was conducted in May of this year through face-to-face interviews of 804 registered Riga residents, aged 15 to 75, at respondents' homes. The approval rating figures are based on the responses of 665 Latvian citizens surveyed.