Drawing "red lines" is the last thing to do - MP Rajevs

RIGA - Drawing so-called "red lines" is the last thing that should be done, Igors Rajevs, an MP of the United List, said in an interview on the Latvian Television while commenting on possible combinations of partnerships in the Saeima.

During an upcoming meeting with President Edgars Rinkevics, the party intends to emphasize that the United List is ready to continue its work in the government, being open to negotiations with several parties.

Rajevs stressed that if there is a "carte blanche situation" in the negotiations between the parties, the process starts from scratch, but that the United List would then have certain conditions regarding cooperation with those parties that are not part of the current coalition, such as the Progressives and the Union of Greens and Farmers. "We would need to hear the answers before we agree to cooperate with these two parties", the politician said.

"I am new in politics, but the last thing one should do is to draw red lines around oneself and then struggle to cross them. Politics is the art of negotiation and compromise, which sometimes works and sometimes does not", Rajevs said.

If President Rinkevics nominates Evika Siliņa (New Unity) for the post of prime minister, the United List will be ready to work in a government led by her, as initial meetings with her have left a good impression, Rajevs said. 

However, it is too early to talk about the nomination of a candidate for the prime minister because first it would be necessary to figure out how to win the support of the Saeima, the politician admitted. "The consultations have just begun, and this will be only the first meeting with the president. We will see how the situation unfolds. And never say "Never"," the lawmaker said.

As reported, President Rinkevics is scheduled to meet with all political parties represented in the Saeima today and tomorrow, 22 August, the president's agenda shows.

The consultations will focus on forming a new coalition and the president will hear the positions of the political parties on the preferred coalition model, possible candidates for the post of prime minister, as well as a vision on long-term and urgent tasks to be carried out by the government. Rinkevics indicated that the public also expects concrete solutions to the most pressing problems of the moment - high electricity tariffs and bank interest rates, as well as rapid food price inflation.