Kučinskis to lead United List faction in Latvian parliament

Outgoing finance minister Māris Kučinskis will lead the United List faction in Latvia’s parliament, the Saeima, LSM reported. Dāvis Melnaksnis and Raimonds Bergmanis were elected as his deputies.

The faction elected its leadership during a break in the 15th Saeima’s first session. It has 41 members, and Kučinskis said its size made it important to establish a clear structure and define deputies’ responsibilities.

Asked whether the faction’s size could lead to disagreements, Kučinskis told Latvian Television that, as a longtime representative of the Liepāja Party, he had never divided United List members by party affiliation.

The United List brings together the Latvian Green Party, the Latvian Association of Regions, the Liepāja Party and the association Latvijas restarts. Of the faction’s members, 19 represent the Latvian Association of Regions, 13 the Latvian Green Party, three the Liepāja Party and six Latvijas restarts.