Author: Ilona Bērziņa/Opinion piece
By proposing diplomat Baiba Braže for the post of Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, New Unity has played a “golden card”. First of all, we can be certain that a professional in her respective field will take this important post. Secondly, this will also allow New Unity to polish their tarnished image.
The first news about Baiba Braže becoming a perspective candidate for the post of Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs came almost immediately after Krišjāņis Kariņš announced his decision to step down. However, the diplomat was approached with the offer just last week. Considering all the positive feedback about Baiba Braže from Evika Siliņa and other coalition partners, the delay with this decision seems odd. Of course, it is not accepted in politics to go around and around an issue endlessly, quick and thoughtless decisions do not lead to any good outcome either. However, this is by no means the case here.
The fact Mrs. Braže is no newcomer to foreign policy is a well-known fact in Latvia. However, New Unity was slightly too slow in naming the candidate in the current geopolitical situation.
In her 3rd of April interview to Rīta panorāma, the PM said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica is a “capable and strong” candidate. Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis’ name was mentioned in the same light as well, as was Inese Lībiņa-Egnere’s name.
The most interesting portion of her interview was when she said that – a non-party candidate seems highly unlikely, because there are many capable candidate within New Unity.
Now it seems there are capable people in the foreign policy sector of Latvia, but Siliņa doesn’t want Latvia to lose its role in international institutions by “moving a some piece”.
I don’t want to use the old, used up phrase about the party’s “short reservists bench”, but there is no other way to describe this situation. Without mentioning any names, New Unity would never agree to a candidate whose name is associated with even the smallest shadow of a scandal. After Kariņš’s special flights and “envelope wages”, even a slight risk to their reputation could cause New Unity’s ship to capsize. And this is not just about the upcoming European Parliament elections and the dip in the party’s rating (from 8.9% in January to 7.8% in March, according to data from SKDS). This is about a drop in trust from the public. This is why choosing a respected, professional and predictable candidate that will not cause any disagreements or disappointment within the party itself was a matter of survival.
It wasn’t difficult to measure public opinion of Baiba Braže – it was enough to go back to the survey posted on “manaprezidente.lv” by “Par!” prior to the presidential elections last year. In it, residents were asked to propose women for the post of President of the Republic of Latvia. Baiba Braže was second after Sandra Kalniete in this survey. There is no need to question her professional qualifications. It is unlikely interviews in at Riga Castle or the Saeima could cause any problems. This is why the choice of the new Minister of Foreign Affairs is shaping up to become New Unity’s new story of success.
Whether or not the diplomat could join Unity, however, is a completely different question. There is no requirement for a minister to be a member of any party represented in the coalition. What we know at the moment is that Braže has agreed to consider her place in the coalition. Let’s hope Evika Siliņa’s want to discuss the perspective minister’s “political beliefs and activities” does not mean some mandatory expansion of Unity’s ranks.
Also read: Perspective minister candidate unsure if she wants to join Latvia’s Unity
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