Latvia's 15th Saeima Holds First Session as Commentary Warns of an Unprecedented Government
Latvia's 15th Saeima held its first sitting on Tuesday and elected its presidium. A commentary in the magazine Ir says the new parliament's makeup is unusual and the first government could be without precedent.
Latvia's parliament, the 15th Saeima, convened for its first sitting on Tuesday. Deputies confirmed their mandates, elected the Saeima presidium and pledged to be loyal to Latvia and to carry out their duties conscientiously. This is the usual start to a new term, but a commentary in the magazine Ir stresses that this parliament differs substantially from earlier ones. The author argues that the first government formed from it could turn out so strange that it would have no precedent.
Largest faction in history
The commentary gives two reasons why this term is unusual. First, the United List faction has 41 deputies, making it the largest faction in the history of the Latvian parliament.
Pro-Kremlin parties
Second, pro-Kremlin parties hold more seats in the Saeima than Harmony (Saskaņas centrs) did. The commentary describes Harmony as a Kremlin project built to get into Latvia's government. At its peak, in the 11th Saeima, Harmony had 31 seats. In the current Saeima, the party Latvija pirmajā vietā (Latvia First) has 17 deputies and the alliance Suverēnā vara / Jaunlatvieši (Sovereign Power / New Latvians) has 15. Together that makes 32 deputies.
The commentary's headline asks whether Kulbergs has found a formula for cooperation with Šlesers. The excerpt does not answer that question or describe how the government formation is going.
