Progressives to be one of the parties making up the government after the elections - Briskens

RIGA - Following the 14th Saeima elections, the Progressives will be one of the parties making up the government coalition, Kaspars Briskens, the party's candidate for the prime minister, said today during a presentation of the party's ticket for the Saeima elections.

When asked whether, due to different objective political reasons, the Progressives may end up in opposition in the next Saeima, Briskens emphasized that his party had no doubt that, being a "pragmatic and worthy" political force, it would find allies and form the next coalition.

The Progressives are confident that this is what will happen because of their vision of the future of Latvia as a wealthy, inclusive society with active economic development, that cares for the well-being of every citizen. The party will seek to cooperate with likeminded parties in the next Saeima, said Briskens.

He added that the Progressives would not work together with political forces that strive to divide society and use populist arguments to undermine Latvia's economic and external security. The party does not deem it possible to cooperate with the Latvian Russians Union and Harmony.

When asked about his position regarding the introduction of national defense service, the Progressives' candidate for the defense minister Andris Spruds, foreign affairs expert and a member of the board at the Latvian Institute of International Affairs, said that the party supported voluntary military service based on freedom of choice. The party is prepared to further discuss what Latvia's national defense system should look like, said Spruds and the party's co-chairwoman Antonina Nenaseva.

The Progressives' candidate for the finance minister Andris Suvajevs emphasized that the party would work to change the current "stinginess" of the state regarding support for people living in need. The Progressives are indignant that almost a quarter of the population are at risk of poverty, and the party will come up with a new approach so that supervision over the financial policy be entrusted to Saeima.

The party's candidate for the economics minister, former Competition Council head Skaidrite Abrama emphasized that the Progressives would work to eliminate corruption, adding that the party had a number of anti-corruption activists, including Riga City Council members Martins Kossovics and Maris Micerevskis.

The Progressives' candidate for the agriculture minister, environmental expert Jana Simanovska stressed that environmental protection and public interests should be balanced out in politics. More subsidies should be used to support sustainable agriculture, she said.