New Unity delays decision on Gorkšs for top government post

Kaspars Gorkšs has yet to win clear backing from New Unity for the post of director of Latvia’s State Chancellery, a government office, LSM reported on Wednesday. The party said it would discuss its position at a board meeting on Monday, while Gorkšs is likely to receive government approval.

After meeting Gorkšs, the director-general of the Latvian Employers’ Confederation, New Unity parliamentary group leader Edmunds Jurēvics said the discussion was constructive and that Gorkšs had outlined his priorities. Some of the answers satisfied the party, but others did not.

The group focused on civil society’s role in government decision-making, public administration reforms and the political neutrality of civil servants. Jurēvics welcomed Gorkšs’s opposition to uniform spending cuts across all institutions and his preference for modernising public administration.

However, New Unity wanted more detail on how Gorkšs would involve non-governmental organisations. Jurēvics said their participation in government decisions should not be reduced. He also noted that Gorkšs had represented employers’ interests, while the State Chancellery director must balance different needs and put the state’s interests first.

New Unity’s ministers will question Gorkšs at a Cabinet meeting, where the appointment is expected to be considered next week. Other coalition partners have already backed his candidacy. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs of the United List nominated him for the post.