Latvia likely to hold presidential elections in May
Estonia's southern neighbor, Latvia, is likely to hold presidential elections at the end of May.
Current President Egils Levits is eligible to run for a second term but, has not declared whether he will do so, so far.
No other potential candidates are known either.
Latvia's Constitution permits up to two presidential terms.
Nominations are open from May 9, until May 13, while the election is due to take place May 31, public broadcaster LSM reports.
The new presidential term begins July 8.
As in Estonia, Latvia's head of state is elected by the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, and not directly by the populace.
Since 1997, presidential terms have been four years in length.
Egils Levits is one of the authors of the Latvian Declaration of Restoration of Independence (1990), and is a former government minister and diplomat.
He was elected president for his first term on May 29, 2019, replacing Raimonds Vējonis.
On a lighter note, Egils' ascension to office also prompted a certain amount of social media delight at the extent to which he and Alar Karis bore a superficial resemblance to one another.
Latvia went to the polls last autumn in a general election, with the current coalition, with Krišjanis Karinš returning as prime minister, assuming office in December.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Andrew Whyte, Karl Kivil
