President begins talks with parties elected to Latvia’s 15th Saeima

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs is beginning talks with the political parties elected to the 15th Saeima, with meetings scheduled in order of their support in the election, LSM reported.

The first meeting, at Riga Castle at 11 a.m. on Monday, is with the United List, which won 41 seats according to provisional results. Rinkēvičs is due to meet Latvia First at 1 p.m., followed by Sovereign Power/Alliance of New Latvians at 2:15 p.m. and the National Alliance at 3:30 p.m.

Talks continue on Tuesday with the Progressives at 9 a.m. and New Unity at 10:15 a.m. At 1 p.m., the president is scheduled to meet Daiga Mieriņa, speaker of the 14th Saeima. The Union of Greens and Farmers, which she represents, failed to enter the next parliament. A press conference is planned after the meeting.

It is not yet clear when parties will begin talks on forming a coalition, LETA reported. United List politicians have said they will initially hold discussions with their previous coalition partners, the National Alliance and New Unity.

The United List won 41 seats, the largest number in the history of Latvia’s parliament. Latvia First won 17, Sovereign Power/Alliance of New Latvians 15, the National Alliance and the Progressives 10 each, and New Unity seven. The Union of Greens and Farmers failed to clear the five percent threshold and will be absent from the Saeima for the first time in its 24-year history. Voter turnout was the lowest ever in a parliamentary election.