Rinkevics nominates Evika Silina for prime minister

RIGA - Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has nominated the candidate of the New Unity for the post of prime minister, current Welfare Minister Evika Silina (New Unity).

Rinkevics said in a press conference that he was confident Silina would be able to conduct the task of the government formation quickly. "Silina's experience and knowledge are a good start to form a functioning Cabinet of Ministers," said the president.

He also noted that in informal consultations, including a meeting with representatives of the five parties on Wednesday, he was confident that Silina has a good chance of forming the broadest possible Cabinet and gaining support in the parliament. During the meeting, Silina also expressed her determination to work to ensure that the country's development goals, including in the economy, education and strengthening security, are close to what officials have discussed in consultations.

The president hopes that government will be formed by mid-September.

The decision to nominate Silina was taken by Rinkevics after talks with all the factions of the Saeima this week. Silina was the only candidate officially nominated by the parties for the post.

This week, Rinkevics in consultations with the parties discussed the process of forming a new coalition, and the president heard the views of the political forces on the preferred coalition model, possible candidates for the post of the prime minister, as well as a vision of the long-term and urgent tasks to be carried out by the government.

Rinkevics said on Wednesday that he was "not naive" about the possibility of a five-party coalition, but he could see several combinations of three or four parties.

A broader coalition is not only possible, but also preferable to any three-party coalition, but this will be a matter for discussion in future negotiations. The president respects the ideological differences between the parties and will not "lock the parties in the palace" until they resolve their differences, but he believes that the parties should step back from their emotions and start negotiations on the way forward from scratch.

There is almost no chance for the National Alliance and the Progressives to agree to work together in the government, so only one of these parties could be included in the future coalition.

Silina was elected to the 14th Saeima from the New Unity's list. In the Vidzeme constituency, Silina won the third best result among the New Unity's candidates, receiving 4, 509 pluses and 2,154 deletions.

Silina was born in 1975. She studied at the University of Latvia, obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Law and qualification as a lawyer, and at Riga Graduate School of Law, obtaining a Master's degree in Social Sciences, Law and International Law and European Law.

In November 2011, she became the legal aide to the Interior Minister, and in January 2013, Parliamentary Secretary at the Interior Ministry.

In February 2019, she left the position of the Parliamentary Secretary of the Interior Ministry to become the Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins (New Unity).

Since December 2022, in Karins' second government, Silina has been the Welfare Minister. She is also a member of the board of the Unity party.