Armands Puče: Kulbergs must act as prime minister, not just play one before elections

Latvijas Avīze columnist Armands Puče has published a commentary assessing Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs' conduct in the run-up to the parliamentary elections, arguing that the approaching vote is shaping the government's behavior.

Puče criticizes Kulbergs for not following through on his promise to abolish unnecessary supervisory boards at state-owned companies, which the prime minister himself had dubbed "party retirement homes." The author also points to a politicized non-governmental sector that continues to receive substantial state funding.

The piece references recent data leaks from Latvia's State Forests, the Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD), and an LMT subsidiary, saying officials responsible have avoided accountability. Puče singles out state-owned telecom TET, whose contract to service CSDD involved IT-sector companies now under investigation by prosecutors and the anti-corruption bureau (KNAB). He also notes that votes in the upcoming Saeima elections will again be counted by hand, since the electronic system remains unreliable despite money spent on it.

The commentary further criticizes the government's tariffs on Russian and Belarusian grain transshipment, arguing that the stevedoring lobby at Latvian ports has ties to Russian interests and that the issue is one of national security rather than economics. Puče also questions the financing arrangements around airline airBaltic and the TET/LMT transaction, saying the state has lost real control while consultants and law firms stand to benefit.

He additionally cites the large number of advisers at the Health Ministry and recent appointments to the board of Riga's Gaiļezers hospital as examples of questionable personnel decisions.

Puče concludes that Kulbergs has so far proven a capable "doer," but warns of a risk that he could become merely a "product" shaped by others rather than an independent decision-maker, urging him to stop counting days in office and focus on tangible results.

The article is labeled as the author's personal opinion, which may not reflect the editorial position of Latvijas Avīze.