Latvia: President nominates Bordans for prime minister

RIGA - President Raimonds Vejonis has decided to task Janis Bordans (New Conservative Party) with forming a new government.

Vejonis asked Bordans to form the next Cabinet of Ministers in two weeks, by November 21, and to achieve Saeima majority's support for his government. If Bordans fails to do this, Vejonis will nominate another candidate to form the next government.

As reported, the New Conservative Party has won 16 seats in the 13th Saeima.

Six political parties involved in the government formation talks - the New Conservative Party, KPV LV, For Development/For, National Alliance, Union of Greens and Farmers, and New Unity - have so far been unable to reach agreement on the new government or the coalition makeup.

The New Conservative Party has said it will not cooperate with the Greens/Farmers.

According to LETA archives, Bordans was first elected to Saeima in 1993, when he was a member of Latvia's Way political party.

Bordans was a candidate in the 6th, 10th, 11th and 12th Saeima elections, but was not voted into parliament.

Bordans has also worked as an advisor to Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis (Unity) in 2010, while in 2012 he was appointed the Justice Ministry's parliamentary secretary.

In 2017, Bordans was elected to the Riga City Council from the New Conservative Party's ticket.

In 2012, Bordans was appointed justice minister. He resigned along with the rest of Dombrovskis' government in November 2013 when Dombrovskis announced that he was taking political responsibility for the tragic shopping center collapse in Riga's Zolitude.

Bordans was one of the founders of the New Conservative Party in 2014.