Rinkēvičs to nominate Kulbergs to form Latvia’s next government

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs will sign a decree on November 4 inviting incumbent Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs of the United List to form and lead a new government, LSM reported.

Speaking on Latvian Radio’s Krustpunktā programme, Rinkēvičs said the political situation was unusual and the government formation process was unlike the usual model. He said he had held detailed talks with Kulbergs and was confident a government would be formed. Once the decree is signed, Kulbergs will be formally authorised to proceed.

Rinkēvičs declined to comment on what kind of coalition would be preferable, saying voters had made their choice and that decisions on the government’s composition were now for the parties to make.

The president gave a positive assessment of Kulbergs’s first government, saying it had completed specific tasks, including organising secure elections. He also acknowledged that the government’s work had been affected by a pre-election atmosphere. Rinkēvičs declined to say whether he would run in next year’s presidential election.

The United List won 41 seats in the 15th Saeima election. Together with the National Alliance’s 10 seats, it would have a narrow majority; the New Unity party’s seven seats would provide broader parliamentary support. Other parties elected were Latvia First with 17 seats, Sovereign Power/Association of Young Latvians with 15, and the Progressives with 10. The Union of Greens and Farmers, a partner in the outgoing coalition, failed to cross the five per cent threshold.