Post-election jockeying begins

  • 2010-09-29
  • From wire reports

RIGA - A meeting between the leaders of the Harmony Center and New Era parties has not reached agreement on cooperation after the elections, claims the daily Diena in reference to one of the participants in the meeting, New Era’s Edgars Jaunups, reports news agency LETA. According to Jaunups, an indication was made to the Harmony Center representatives that if the current governing coalition, led by Valdis Dombrovskis (New Era), receives a stable majority in the 10th Saeima, then it will continue to work, which Harmony Center fully understands.

Unofficial sources indicate that on the initiative of Harmony Center, a meeting took place between its leading figures, Riga Mayor Nils Usakovs and Janis Urbanovics, and New Era representatives Solvita Aboltina, Artis Kampars and Jaunups. This information was used by political opponents, for example People’s Party leader Andris Skele, to claim that “Unity and Harmony Center have already agreed to create a government,” without providing any evidence for this conclusion.

New Era leader Aboltina replied that “Building a coalition before the elections is a dangerous thing. There have been no agreements.” However, both Aboltina and Jaunups admit that it is impossible to rule out this type of cooperation model, as after the elections it will be essential to create a stable government with a convincing majority. Jaunups personally believes that in such a case, it is better to speak to Harmony Center than with Ainars Slesers (For a Good Latvia), with whom it is difficult to imagine long-term cooperation.

Harmony Center leader Urbanovics admitted to having met with representatives of Unity, but added that it was impossible to predict who would form a coalition with whom before the elections had taken place. Harmony Center’s objective, however, is to be in the next government.

In the meantime, the daily Neatkariga reports that the move toward closer cooperation between Unity and Harmony Center has been suggested by the U.S. Embassy in Riga, so these two political forces would create the next government after the Saeima elections this Saturday.
International Monetary Fund consultant Janis Platais, former minister for state budget in the 1993 government of Valdis Birkavs, is said to be the candidate for prime minister - or at least the finance minister’s job, if such a coalition is formed after the elections.

Neatkariga writes that Platais is believed to be a “neutral specialist” and a “compromise,” because it is expected that it will be hard for Unity and Harmony Center to reach agreement on a joint candidate for the prime minister. If Platais does not win the support of both parties as the next prime minister, he will become the finance minister in the next government.