ZRP, Unity, VL-TB/LNNK sign coalition agreement

  • 2011-10-11
  • TBT Staff

DYNAMIC DUO: Zatlers and Dombrovskis signed a last-minute coalition deal with the far right Visu Latvijai.

RIGA -- Latvia's three right-wing parties have come to an agreement on forming the country's next government in which current Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis would retain his post.

The agreement came between center-right parties Zatlers' Reform Party (ZRP) and Unity, along with the far-right VL-TB/LNNK. The coalition will form a narrow majority in parliament of 56 votes in the 100-seat chamber.

The parties were second, third and fourth in last month's elections. The winners, left-wing Russian rights party Harmony Center, will be left in opposition along with the Green's and Farmers' Union (ZZS).

The agreement came Monday evening, in the final hours of a deadline set by President Andris Berzins for parties to put together a coalition.

The new coalition represents a last minute change, following days of intense negotiations between ZRP, Unity, and Harmony Center.

Harmony Center has said they will appeal to the president not to accept the new coalition, arguing that it would be far stronger with HC in the place of arch-rivals VL-TB/LNNK.