Levits is ready to nominate leader of potential new government during his remaining term of office

  • 2023-06-02
  • LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - Outgoing President Egils Levits is ready to nominate the leader of a potential new government during his remaining term in office if the current government made up of New Unity, the United List and the National Alliance collapses, the president said during a meeting today with President-elect Edgars Rinkevics.

As Levits said, today the officials discussed the political situation in the country "in general terms". "The situation is unclear. The task of parties and factions at Saeima is to see how the government could function in the future," said the president.

According to him, a completely new government model is currently possible, as well as continuing the work of the current government, but it should be decided by parties and factions.

"If the situation requires it, I will make my choice before my term ends on July 8. After that, this will be the task of the new president," said Levits.

Rinkevics also pointed out that the parties should discuss this issue in all possible ways. According to him, the best way to solve the situation would be for political parties to talk to each other directly, and not through the mass media.

As reported, the presidential elections on Wednesday have exposed cracks in the New Unity-led ruling coalition. Foreign Minister Rinkevics was elected as the next president of Latvia, however, the ruling coalition's the United List and the National Alliance did not vote for Rinkevics - it was the opposition's Union of Greens and Farmers and the Progressives that supported Rinkevics together with New Unity.

As a result, the ruling coalition is expected to grow larger, or there may even be changes in the government makeup, which though is strongly opposed by both the United List and the National Alliance.