Levits to appoint Kariņš as PM as Latvian coalition now 'stable enough'
President of Latvia Egils Levits is set to sign an order to officially entrust the formation of the new government to current Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (New Unity), reports public broadcaster LSM.
Kariņš and Levits met on Tuesday to discuss the formation of the new government and the first draft of its declaration. The process had stalled due to prolonged negotiations between coalition partners, which have dragged on since the Latvian parliamentary elections took place on October 1.
The declaration outlines who will assume which roles in the new government. It also lays out the governments promises in priority areas, including security and foreign affairs, education, energy, the environment and welfare.
Levits said, it had become clear that the coalition was now "stable enough" and shared common goals. He now plans to sign an order recommending Kariņš as a candidate for Prime Minister, and entrusting him with the formation of the new cabinet, which will then be submitted to the Latvian parliament (Saeima) for approval.
"The work since the Saeima elections has not been easy but it has(now) resulted in a new coalition," said Levits. The President added, that he believes the new coalition has the will to work together in order to Latvia's best interests until the next elections take place in four years' time.
Kariņš said, that the coalition partners were not all on the same page yet, but that they were slowly starting to see eye to eye on the important issues, and that the new cabinet will be ready in "a couple of weeks."
The three-party coalition is expected to consist of New Unity, the National Alliance and the United List, who between them won 54 of the 100 seats in the Saeima.
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Editor: Michael Cole