Among the four political parties representing the Latvian electorate that have entered the Riga City Council — Progressives, National Alliance (NA), New Unity (JV), and the United List (AS) — there are no fundamental ideological contradictions, said Viesturs Kleinbergs, the Progressives’ candidate for mayor, in an interview with Latvian Television’s “Rīta panorāma”.
He emphasized that the Progressives have drawn a “thick red line” solely against corruption, wastefulness, and conflicts of interest. On other issues, he believes the potential coalition partners should be able to find common ground. That is why the Progressives plan to dedicate a full day to talks with each potential partner, to allow enough time to cover as many issues as possible.
Commenting on concerns raised publicly about potential difficulties working with the National Alliance, Kleinbergs recalled that both political forces had worked quite successfully together for two and a half years during the current Riga City Council term.
In an interview with TV3’s “900 Seconds”, Kleinbergs said he currently sees no obstacles that would prevent the Progressives from cooperating with NA in the interest of Riga’s residents
— even if there are some ideological differences on individual issues.
He noted that such topics rarely appear on the Riga City Council’s agenda, asking rhetorically: “Are we going to talk about issues important to Riga residents, or look for excuses to avoid cooperation?”
When asked whether he sees other possible coalition combinations in the council, Kleinbergs replied negatively. He compared the upcoming coalition negotiations to taking an exam — one that parties have long been preparing for. “Excuses like ‘the dog ate my homework’ or ‘Johnny didn’t do his part’ won’t work anymore,” he added.
When asked if he would be willing to serve in the council under a different mayor if he does not become one himself, Kleinbergs did not give a direct answer, but repeatedly emphasized that agreements on goals and actions must come before discussions about positions. Debates about the number of deputy mayors, he said, are not relevant at this point.
In his interview with LTV, Kleinbergs expressed confidence that Latvia First (LPV), led by Ainārs Šlesers, which received the most votes in the election, will remain in the opposition. He said he sees no grounds to work with politicians who would “immediately surrender to the East for money or other reasons.”
Kleinbergs added that he is not afraid of Šlesers’ promises to build a powerful opposition, saying that strong opposition provides good motivation for the ruling coalition to perform effectively.
As reported, coalition negotiations in Riga begin today, confirmed Kleinbergs. He said he will invite pro-democracy, state-oriented parties that won seats in the council — NA, JV, and AS — to the talks.
The meetings are scheduled as follows:
- on Monday, the 10th of June at 10:00 – with NA
- on Tuesday, the 11th of June at 10:00 – with New Unity
- on Wednesday, the 12th of June at 10:00 – with the United List
According to provisional results from the Central Election Commission, Latvia First (LPV) received the most votes in the Riga City Council election, but the Progressives and NA came close behind.
With all precincts counted, LPV received 18.17% of the vote, earning 13 out of 60 seats in the council.
The Progressives received 16.62% (11 seats), NA 14.2% (10 seats), and the current mayor Vilnis Ķirsis’s New Unity (JV) received 12.9% (9 seats).
“Sovereign Power/Union of Young Latvians” (SV/AJ) received 12.13%, likely earning them eight seats. Two more parties entered the council: “Stability!” with 6.94% (five seats), and the United List (AS) with 6.29% (four seats).
The remaining parties — including For Latvia’s Development, Harmony, Honor to Serve Riga, and the Union of Greens and Farmers — did not secure seats in the Riga City Council.
A total of 60 deputies are to be elected to the Riga City Council. Voter turnout in Riga for this election reached 52.2%.