Indriksone says smaller parties must influence Latvia’s next government

National Alliance leader Ilze Indriksone says smaller coalition partners should have a real say in decisions under the next government, LSM reported, citing her comments on Latvijas Radio’s Krustpunktā programme.

Indriksone, who chairs the party’s board and is education and science minister, said the parties should agree on close cooperation during government formation. The National Alliance supports the changes voters have called for but will not abandon its core principles. She also said families with children should not be overlooked during economic changes.

The National Alliance is waiting for a proposal on cooperation from election winner the United List, Indriksone said. The party’s board is due to assess the election results and future government-formation talks on Monday.

United List board co-chair and Justice Minister Edvards Smiltēns said government representation should reflect the mandate voters gave the parties. The partners still need to agree on how much influence each will have, he said. The United List aims to form a government capable of serving a full four-year term.

Smiltēns said the new government could not be approved before November 3, when the newly elected Saeima is due to convene. Turnout in the 15th Saeima election was 51.81%, with 807,067 voters participating, according to the Central Election Commission’s figures from all 1,059 polling stations.