Politicians of the parties represented in the Saeima expect the continuation of the current government’s work for the time being, according to the politicians’ unofficial and official opinions.
Politicians of the parties represented in the Saeima expect the continuation of the current government’s work for the time being, according to the politicians’ unofficial and official opinions.
Currently, the ruling coalition consists of “Jaunā vietība” (JV), the National Association (NA) and “Apvientais listis” (AS), but after the presidential elections, in which the coalition parties could not agree on support for one candidate, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (JV) has started negotiations on a possible expansion of the coalition with the Green and Peasant Union (ZZS) and the Progressives.
Suspicions are expressed in the political circles that JV itself might not be particularly interested in immediately deciding to replace NA and AS in the government with ZZS and “Progresivajie” and to work in a government supported by only 52 deputies.
It is also said that ZZS also sees no rush in the issue of its possible entry into the coalition.
It has already been unofficially expressed that greater uncertainty about the further process could remain until the New Year. If there are no drastic changes until then, at least a short pause regarding “bigger events” is not excluded. If such a scenario is realized, it is not clear whether the possible continuation of attempts to move towards “coalition expansion” could resume in July or rather around autumn.
On Friday, after the parties’ first talks, Kariņš expressed that he was waiting for the talks on the expansion of the coalition. At the same time, the prime minister claimed that the current government is stable. Commenting on the fact that NA and AS are against the expansion of the coalition, Kariņš stated that the negotiations are only in the initial stages. The prime minister did not set a time frame for the talks.
Kariņš mentioned in detail a number of important matters in the country, the implementation of which requires the expansion of the coalition. The agreement is not about the listing of several state-owned capital companies on the stock exchange, about attracting additional workforce, as well as about the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and the arrangement of coexistence issues, explained the head of the government.
The Prime Minister answered in the affirmative to the question that he wants to start coalition expansion negotiations with ZZS and “Progresivaije”.
It has already been reported that the cracks in the coalition intensified with the presidential elections. On May 31, the Saeima elected the candidate of the Prime Minister’s party JV, the long-time Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs, as the next President, but he was elected only with the votes of the opposition ZZS and “Progresīvo” and without any support from AS and NA.
The outcome of the presidential election has created a general belief in the political circles that changes are expected in the government – either the composition of the existing coalition will expand or the government will change completely, for example, it is assumed that JV, ZZS and “Progresīvie” could form the core of the future coalition.
Kariņš and JV have started negotiations with AS and NA on the expansion of the coalition, but AS and NA still have a negative attitude towards changes in the government. According to Kariņš, the government led by him is currently stable, meanwhile, the possible distribution of responsibility roles in the next government, which would be formed by JV, ZZS and “Progresīvie”, has been leaked in the public space, the prime minister would be Arvils Asheradens (JV), and Kariņš would become the minister of foreign affairs.
Leave a Comment