"Unity" tops Latvian elections

RIGA -- Latvia's centre-right "Untiy" ("Vienotība") voting block, made up largely of the current ruling coalition, has won the elections with over 30% of the vote.

The vote sends a welome signal to Prime Minister and party leader Valdis Dombrovskis that Latvians approve of the harsh austerity measures that his government put in place to rein in the European Union's worst economic recession.

With more than 96% of the votes counted, Unity has a comfortable lead with 30.43 percent of the vote, followed by the left leaning pro-Russia "Harmony Center" ("Saskaņas Centrs") with 25.87%, and the regionally popular Greens and Farmers Union (Zaļo un Zemnieku savienība) with 19.52%.

Also over the 5% mark necessary to gain seats in parliament were the oligarch-dominated "For a Good Latvia" (""Par Labu Latviju") with 7.58% and the nationalist "All for Latvia - For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK" ("Visu Latvijai!" - "Tēvzemei un Brīvībai/LNNK") with  7.49%.

Unity is unlikely to want to share power with Harmony Center, and on Sunday had scheduled meetings with the Greens and Farmers Union and with For Fatherland and Freedom to discuss coalition options.

Unity will need the support of both parties to form a working government.