Berzins says president's ambitions will disband parliament

  • 2008-11-28
  • TBT Staff in cooperation with BNS
RIGA - Gundars Berzins, a leading member of the ruling People's Party, has said that he thinks the president will disband parliament by next spring for personal ambition.

In an interview with the Baltic News Service, Berzins said Latvian President Valdis Zatlers was looking to secure his place in the Latvian history books.

"In order to go down in history, he wants to do during his presidencysomething that nobody else has done before, whether the consequences. I amfully certain that betwen February and April Zatler will try to decide ondissolution of the parliament," said Berzins. Nevertheless, the politicianagreed that at the time Zatlers was elected as the head of the state therehad been no other option but to back his appointment to the post.

"He [the president] will disregard the fact that it will result in acombination of complicated external financial circumstances with a seriouspolitical crisis that may have very grave consequences. But it will be theresult that would remain in history," said Berzins, adding that thepresident would be driven solely by the ambition to put his name down inhistory.

People's Party representatives said that the comments reflected Berzins' personal opinion, and were not representative of the views of the entire party.