Rinkēvičs says government talks are proceeding at a measured pace

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said the pace of forming a new government was measured and satisfactory, LSM reported. He spoke to journalists on Thursday after meeting parliament speaker Edvards Smiltēns.

Rinkēvičs named incumbent Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs to form a government on 4 November, a day after the newly elected Saeima first convened. Kulberg’s party, the United List, won 41 seats in the election, its largest total to date. A government could be formed around the national holidays, but Kulbergs has not yet named the parties that would join it. The possibility of a minority government has also been raised.

Rinkēvičs said governments in Latvia had been approved at different points in the parliamentary calendar, from late January to mid-December, and sometimes just days after a newly elected Saeima convened. He said there was no reason for concern and added that the government and Saeima committees would be formed soon.

The president said it would be logical to form the Cabinet before electing Saeima committees, as newly elected MPs would likely join the government and this order could avoid unnecessary changes to committee membership. Whether the government was formed before or after the national holidays, he added, was not decisive.

Smiltēns said it was the ninth day of government talks. He acknowledged that Kulbergs’ apparent position as the obvious choice for prime minister after preliminary election results may have caused confusion. “The process is proceeding as it should and is well considered. What matters most is not speed, but quality,” he said.

Smiltēns said previous government negotiations had focused on positions and money for priorities. This time, he said, potential partners were being asked what they were willing to give up to carry out the changes proposed by the prime minister-designate.