Today, 8:14
Authors: LSM English (Latvian Public Media), Agnija Lazdiņa (Latvijas Radio Ziņu dienesta korespondente)
Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs (United List”), to whom the President has also entrusted the task of forming the next government, will begin talks next week with potential coalition partners on the formation of the new government. On Wednesday, 28 October, the United List plans to meet with its current coalition partners, the National Alliance and New Unity.
Talks with the National Alliance are scheduled for 1.00 pm on Wednesday, 28 October, whilst talks with New Unity are scheduled for 3.00 pm. The “United List” also plans to meet with other parties represented in the Saeima.
“We will begin forming the government by agreeing on how we will work, what changes we will implement and how we will be accountable for our achievements. I want to build a team united by clear goals and a willingness to achieve them, even when difficult decisions have to be made. We must justify the voters’ trust with tangible results,” said Kulbergs.
Official negotiations will therefore begin more than three weeks after the election.
Following a coalition meeting on Monday, 19 October, the Prime Minister explained that talks with potential coalition partners had been scheduled for this Wednesday, but that he would be away from Latvia due to urgent personal business. The talks have therefore been postponed until next week.
“The coalition talks were scheduled for this Wednesday, but I must apologise to my colleagues that this is not possible. Due to personal circumstances, I will not be in Latvia; I have urgent personal matters to attend to, which prevent me from doing so.”
Jānis Eglīts, an MP for the National Alliance, believes it is still too early to speculate on the shape of the next government whilst Kulbergs’ proposal remains unknown. The party will await this and will also put forward its own proposals. The future model of cooperation, in his view, will be clarified through negotiations.
“In the National Alliance’s view, first of all, we need to understand the goal we are working towards. Then we need to organise the work and decide how it will be carried out, and only then does the third stage – the formal formation of the government – come into play. If we look back at history, this is not the first time that the government has included ministers who have not been elected to the Saeima. Such a situation has already occurred in the past, so there is absolutely no need to rush at this stage. The most important thing is to put this plan together so that it can function effectively for the full four years,” said Eglīts.
Meanwhile, various government options have been publicly discussed – ranging from a two- or three-party coalition to a minority government comprising sectoral experts. Kulbergs does not rule out any possibility, noting that all options are on the table, but denies that posts have already been allocated.
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