New Saeima is less populist - Murniece

RIGA - The newly elected members of parliament have a great desire to change something for the better, just as it was at the beginning of the 13th Saeima's term, but this time there is less populism in the parliament, former Saeima speaker, now 14th Saeima MP Inara Murniece (National Alliance) said an interview with Latvian Television on Monday.

Murniece hopes that new Saeima will be more pragmatic, persistent at its work, generate a lot of ideas and be able to stand up for these ideas.

Speaking of people's trust in the parliament, Murniece admitted that it was usually higher right after each election.

Murniece attributes the declining popularity of Saeima to difficult decisions that the parliament had to make, starting with the economic crisis in 2008 and leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The public was never fully satisfied with the parliament's performance.

Many members of the 13th Saeima were populists and, presumably, "this also affected people's trust or distrust of the parliament," said Murniece.