RIGA — Within hours of the United List's parliamentary victory, Latvia's government ordered the renaming of every street, bridge, and bus stop in the country after the winning coalition, effective at sunrise.
The Ministry of Regional Development announced that the renaming would be carried out by a special night shift of municipal workers, who began at midnight and are expected to finish in nine days. «We have assigned one worker per street sign,» said Deputy Minister Aivars Ozols. «Each worker carries a ladder, a bucket of paint, and a list of approved names. The list contains only one name.»
Residents of Riga woke to find that Brīvības Street had become United List Avenue, the Stone Bridge had become the United List Bridge, and the central market had been rechristened the United List Market. Bus drivers were issued new route maps printed in a single color, and tram conductors now announce each stop by reading a short biography of the party's founding members.
The government has given citizens one week to memorize the new addresses. Those who fail a spot check by the newly created Address Verification Patrol will be required to walk the length of United List Avenue while reciting the party's election slogan. «It is not a punishment,» Ozols said. «It is a walking seminar in civic awareness.»
By next week, the Ministry plans to rename the days of the week in official calendars, starting with Monday, which will now be known as United List Day. Schools have been instructed to begin each morning with a geography lesson on the new national map, which contains a single street name repeated in every town.