RIGA, February 3 (RIA Novosti) - Latvian Agriculture
Minister Martins Roze resigned on Tuesday after farmers took to
the streets to protest against agricultural policy, a
government spokesman said.
Around 50 demonstrators used tractors and other vehicles
to block access to the Agriculture Ministry in downtown Riga on
Tuesday, lighting fires in front of the building. Another
several hundred tractors blocked the city's orbital road.
The farmers oppose the government's move to raise income
tax from 18% to 21% and demand financial aid worth some $48
million. Farmers' organizations demanded on Monday that Roze
step down.
The Union of Greens and Farmers announced last week it
would quit the ruling coalition unless the government help
farmers endure the economic crisis. Prime Minister Ivars
Godmanis invited opposition parties to join the coalition, but
they refused.
Parliament will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday for
a no-confidence vote in the government.
Latvia had the worst-performing economy in the European
Union last year. By the end of the third quarter of 2008, the
country's GDP had fallen 4.6% in 12 months. Opinion polls show
more than 70% of Latvians do not trust the government.
The economic situation in the country led to protests
outside parliament in mid-January, which turned violent with
stones and bottles thrown at the building.
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