Politologists rate Kulbergs government between good and mediocre

Politologists have rated the work of Andris Kulbergs’ government between good and mediocre after its first 100 days, LSM reported. Public expectations appear to have been higher than the government’s achievements so far, although its rating is better than that of the previous government at the same stage.

The government, led by the United List’s Kulbergs, reached the 100-day mark this week. With parliamentary elections less than a month away, voters will soon decide whether the prime minister and his team deserve their trust and should continue in office.

According to the figures cited by LSM, 23.5% of respondents were satisfied or rather satisfied with Kulbergs’ government. In the second full month of Evika Siliņa’s government, the corresponding figure was 22.3%. By the end of Siliņa’s government, the share had fallen to 17.2%, meaning Kulbergs’ government has gained 6.3 percentage points compared with that figure.

Several residents said they viewed the new government positively.

“It seems that he knows what needs to be done. I saw a meeting where he openly said, ‘Yes, I don’t like what you have prepared. Let’s do it again and do it better,’” resident Kristiāns said.

Resident Vita said she appreciated efforts to bring order to financial matters, including clarifying where reporting was required and what had been completed.

“It’s okay so far. You can’t say much after 100 days, but yes, I think it’s better than the previous prime minister, the previous prime minister we had,” resident Līva said.

“In any case, it is something new, something that has not existed in Latvia until now. Such determination has not been seen before. Where it will lead, we do not know yet, of course. But in my opinion, the beginning is very good, and I would like to see how it continues,” resident Mareks said.

The government has received credit for identifying problems, raising hopes that decisions could be made more quickly, and explaining its plans to the public.

Political scientist Lelde Metla-Rozentāle, head of a programme group at RSU, said the government communicated “very vividly and openly”, sometimes very directly and at times possibly crossing accepted boundaries of politeness or ethics.

“That is what we can see society wants and appreciates, at least part of society,” she said.

However, the government has also faced criticism over its concrete actions and whether its decisions are sufficiently considered. Concerns have been raised about the future of non-governmental organisations and reforms in healthcare and other areas.