Questioning the education background of another Olaine city councillor
In the recent political landscape of Latvia, two members of the Olaine Regional Council, Andris Vurčs and Lukaševics, have found themselves at the centre of a controversy regarding their educational backgrounds.
During the 2022 parliamentary elections, Lukaševics claimed to have graduated from the Latvian University of Agriculture in 2004, where he studied energy engineering. However, questions have been raised about the authenticity of these claims, as no concrete evidence has been found to support them.
Lukaševičs has been evasive, initially claiming that he was still studying at university, but later also asserting that he had graduated. The Latvian University of Agriculture has not confirmed any record of his graduation, and the Ministry has requested the State Police to examine information about his education.
Meanwhile, Vurčs, who is from the same party as Lukaševičs, is alleged to have falsely claimed that he had completed his secondary education in 2002. The municipality has provided a certificate of Vurčs' primary education, but there is no information on his secondary education.
The controversy has not been limited to just education claims. Vurčs, who is a member of the Olaine Regional Council, was also the Deputy Mayor, a position he subsequently announced he was resigning from. His resignation followed allegations that he had provided false information about his education to the Election Commission, a matter that the State Police is now investigating, as requested by VARAM.
Dmitrijs Ivanovs, another member of the list, was elected second deputy chairman of the Olaine municipal council in place of Vurčs. The Olaine municipality member, Lukaševics, is a representative of a joint list of both parties in the municipal elections.
When contacted, Lukaševics initially said he was on leave from his job at state-owned JSC Latvian Railways. The latest developments in this ongoing saga are yet to be seen, as the investigations continue.
As always, the public is encouraged to seek out reliable sources for news and information, and to question any claims that seem unusual or unverified.
The controversy surrounding education claims has also involved Dmitrijs Ivanovs, who was elected second deputy chairman of the Olaine municipal council. He is from the same list as Lukaševics and Lukaševics, despite initial claims of studying at the Latvian University of Agriculture, has no record of graduation confirmed.
Agriculture seems far from the main concern as regional council members face investigation over allegations of false educational backgrounds and unverified information.
As elections approach and political news dominates television screens, general-news programs are increasingly focusing on crime-and-justice stories, including the ongoing investigations into the educational backgrounds of these two council members.
