The potential core of the next government coalition in Latvia could consist of the United List (AS), the National Alliance (NA), and the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS), said Edgars Tavars, head of the AS Saeima faction, in an interview with LTV’s Morning Panorama today.
A joint decision would then follow on which fourth party to invite as a partner, Tavars stated, while noting that the current government has not yet fallen.
Tavars did not give a clear answer as to whether AS would join a coalition with Ainārs Šlesers’ Latvia First (LPV), although he admitted that in a number of issues, the political views of AS and LPV coincide.
At the end of September, due to ZZS’s vote in the Saeima to denounce the Istanbul Convention, marked instability began within the ruling coalition. Although the coalition partners have pledged to work toward adopting next year’s “security budget”, few politicians now express confidence in the ability of Prime Minister Evika Siliņa’s (JV) government to function in the long term.
New Unity (JV) currently holds 25 deputies in the Saeima, ZZS has 16 deputies, and the Progressives have eight. The United List (AS) has 13 deputies, the National Alliance has 12, while both Latvia First (LPV) and Stability! each have eight deputies. There are also 10 unaffiliated deputies in the Saeima, some of whom support the ruling coalition.
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