Zatlers forms think tank as party gains momentum

RIGA -- Former Latvian President Valdis Zatlers has officially formed a "Reform Think Tank" to advise his newly formed party, the Reform Party, as it rockets in popularity.

The think tank is expected to draw some of the best minds in the country, including various experts and academians, but will have an advisory role. Its members will not be expected to join the party. 

"It will be important for the think tank to remain independent. The lack of stable political think tanks in Latvia has been the reason for Latvia's weakness for a long time. This is what Zatlers' party wants to change by its example," Daiga Holma from Zatlers' Reform Party told LETA.

Though Zatlers' party is still officially pending, it has already seen a wave of popular support on the back of the former president's decision to dissolve parliament over a vote to protect one of the country's so-called "oligarchs" from a corruption investigation.

A recent survey found that around one-third of the country's population is prepared to vote for the new party, even though its composition is still unclear.