Incumbent Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs (United List) should form Latvia’s new government, President Edgars Rinkēvičs announced on Tuesday following talks with all political forces elected to the 15th Saeima.
Kulbergs’ United List (AS) won the 15th Saeima election by a wide margin over the other parties.
Rinkēvičs said that substantial progress in the government formation process should be visible by the beginning of November. At the same time, he explained that Kulbergs cannot yet be formally nominated as a candidate for prime minister because the current 14th Saeima still holds its mandate.
The president once again congratulated Kulbergs on his election success, stressing that the mandate given by voters represents both a major responsibility and a significant opportunity. Rinkēvičs expressed hope that the 15th Saeima, the new government and the future prime minister would succeed in implementing plans to strengthen Latvia’s economy and security.
At the same time,
the president expressed hope that in the coming years it would be possible to increase public participation in political processes
and strengthen trust in state institutions, which could eventually also lead to higher voter turnout in future Saeima elections.
Kulbergs was born in 1979. He studied at Concordia International University Estonia in Tallinn, graduating in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and business, specialising in international business management. He also studied at Riga Business School, obtaining a professional master’s-level degree in international business and commerce.
Since 2006, Kulbergs has held various positions in the management of the Auto Association and is currently a member of its board.
From 2008 to 2013, he worked at Inchcape Motors Latvia, where he served as regional manager for Latvia. He has also held positions at a number of companies and organisations, including Latvijas pilnvaroto autotirgotāju centrs, Baltic Motors Ventspils, the Latvian Association of Auto Body Repairers, Baltijas īpašumu fonds, BM Līzings, Ventmotors, Inchcape BM Auto, Inchcape Insurance Services and Ērmans.
From 2013 to 2022, Kulbergs served as regional and development manager at the Netherlands-based company GeesinkNorba.
He has also served on the council of the Employers’ Confederation of Latvia.
Kulbergs ran for the United List in the 2022 election to the 14th Saeima and was elected. In parliament, he previously chaired the Environment, Climate and Energy Subcommittee of the Economic, Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Policy Committee, as well as the parliamentary inquiry commission investigating the increase in heating costs in Riga.
The current Cabinet led by Kulbergs was approved on 28 May this year following the collapse of Prime Minister Evika Siliņa’s (JV) government. The coalition consisted of the United List, New Unity (JV), the Union of Greens and Farmers and the National Alliance (NA).
According to preliminary data from the Central Election Commission, the United List received the highest level of support in the election with 35.288% of the vote, followed by Latvia First with 13.076%, Sovereign Power/Young Latvians with 11.710%, the National Alliance with 8.897%, the Progressives with 7.878% and New Unity with 6.362%.