Riga, Sept 14. (dpa/GA) – Latvian Prime Minister, Andris Kulbergs, on Sunday sacked Welfare Minister Reinis Uzulnieks, after he was caught by police while driving with a blood alcohol level of more than 0.3%, or some six times higher than the legal limit.
“A minister who drives under the influence of alcohol is completely irresponsible and a danger to society,” Kulbergs posted on X.
President Edgars Rinkēvičs, also strongly condemned the incident.
According to media reports, which have not been officially confirmed, police stopped the 40-year-old politician on Saturday and found him driving with a blood alcohol level of more than 0.3%.
Latvian news agency LETA reported a breath-alcohol reading equivalent to 0.309%, while Latvian television reported a blood alcohol level of 0.35%. The maximum permitted level of alcohol in the bloodstream for drivers with more than 2 years’ experience is 0.05%, according to the Latvian Automobile Association.
A blood alcohol concentration or BAC of 0.4% is considered a potentially fatal level by most medical experts. At a level of 0.3% “you’ll likely have alcohol poisoning, a potentially life-threatening condition, and experience loss of consciousness,” according to the Cleveland Clinic, a major heart and vascular care centre in the United States.
Earlier, the leadership of Uzulnieks’ party, the Union of Greens and Farmers, decided at an extraordinary meeting to dismiss him as welfare minister, and expel him from the party.
GNA