New Unity and National Alliance call for state-minded coalition

New Unity and the National Alliance said the next coalition should be formed by state-minded political forces, including current coalition partners, LSM reported as they responded to voter survey results from Latvia’s parliamentary election.

New Unity parliamentary group leader Edmunds Jurēvics said the party received 6.3% support in the initial survey results and would analyse the outcome. He said the results indicated that pro-European and patriotic forces had a majority.

Jurēvics said Julia Stepaņenko of Sovereign Power/Association of Young Latvians and Ainārs Šlesers of Latvia First should remain in opposition. “State-minded and pro-European forces must work to form the next coalition,” he said.

National Alliance Prime Minister candidate Ilze Indriksone, whose party received 8.7% support in the survey, said she hoped state-minded and patriotic parties, including current coalition partners, would receive enough support to continue their work. She said a four-year term offered time to advance work for Latvia’s security and a Latvian Latvia.

New Unity and the National Alliance are part of the current government alongside the United List and the Union of Greens and Farmers. Voter surveys suggest six political forces could enter the 15th Saeima. Parliamentary elections were held across Latvia on October 3.