Latvian legislators were set to initiate discussions on Sunday to establish a new government post a parliamentary election where Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’s four-party coalition, backing Ukraine, secured 35 per cent of the vote.
In May, a political crisis erupted over the management of stray drones believed to be from Ukraine, leading to the collapse of the existing coalition. Subsequently, the parliament approved Kulbergs’s coalition, headed by the centrist United List party, which was previously in opposition.
Latvia, alongside its Baltic counterparts Lithuania and Estonia, stands firmly with Ukraine in its resistance against Moscow’s intrusion, given its proximity to both Russia and Moscow-aligned Belarus.
The election, held amidst concerns of potential Russian aggression on NATO’s eastern border, witnessed a voter turnout exceeding 51 percent. Over 1.56 million eligible voters out of the nation’s 1.8 million population participated in selecting the 100 members of the Saeima for a four-year tenure.
The United List party is projected to secure 42 parliamentary seats, necessitating a multi-party coalition to manage the fragmented political scenario. Parties must garner a minimum of five percent of the vote to secure seats in parliament.
