Kaiminš, formerly a highly-regarded stage and screen actor, then the host of popular online show “Dog House”  started the KPV LV Party   (originally the initials stood for  Kam Pieder Valsts?  or  Who Owns The State? ) after  he quit the Latvian Regional Alliance party  , which he virtually single-handedly got into parliament due to his personal popularity. 

However, after repeating the trick when KPV LV became the joint second-largest party in Saeima at elections in October 2018 with 16 members, the party has been riven by internal rivalries that have already seen  several of its deputies splinter off and according to recent polls its support among the electorate has all but collapsed. The latest expulsions reduce its parliamentary presence to 10 seats.

On Wednesday, January 8, the Saeima Faction of KPV LV decided to exclude Kaiminš and another MP, Aldis Blumbergs, from its ranks, effectively turning them into independent members of parliament.

The deputy leader of the MPV LV parliamentary faction, Ēriks Pucens, said in a statement to the media, that both deputies had been derelicting their duties and disregarding the party line.

“We have not felt these MPs for a long time to be players and members of the faction team,” Pucens said.

“Excluding a member is always an emotionally difficult decision, but we consider this decision to be appropriate to the current situation, which will strengthen KPV LV as a party in the long run and foster greater voter confidence,” Pucens added. 

LSM.LV