Urbanovičs says he failed to revive Harmony, plans to quit leadership

Jānis Urbanovičs says he failed to revive the Harmony party and plans to leave its leadership, LSM reported, citing the LETA news agency. He said apathy among party members contributed to its poor result in the 15th Saeima election.

Urbanovičs said many party representatives had given in to apathy before the campaign. He had hoped to wake up, encourage and motivate them, but failed to restore their desire to promote the party’s ideals.

He linked the apathy to leaders joining other political forces while continuing to appeal to Harmony members and voters. He also cited widespread lack of belief in the party. “Half of voters stayed at home. That is very bad news for Latvia,” he said.

Urbanovičs said he no longer sees himself in Harmony and believes the party needs a new leader. He said he would see his current responsibilities through, but did not feel entitled to make further promises or urge colleagues on after failing to motivate them. He added that he was willing to offer advice to Harmony or other political forces.

He said the election results showed that Harmony was not in demand among the public, and was least in demand among its own members. Urbanovičs also said party leaders who had risen through its ranks might consider creating a new political project and starting from scratch. The Harmony name had once helped the party, he said, but now weighed it down.

With about 99% of votes counted, provisional results showed the United List winning 42 seats in the next Saeima, Latvia’s parliament, with 35.3% of the vote. The results indicated that six parties would enter parliament, while the Union of Greens and Farmers was just below the 5% threshold. LPV received 13.1% of the vote, the SV/AJ coalition 11.74%, and the National Alliance 8.91%.