Commentary: Latvia's 15th Saeima Starts Work Amid High Public Expectations
Latvia's 15th Saeima, the national parliament, has begun its term, with a single force, the United List, holding 41 seats. Commentator Bens Latkovskis argues this brings special responsibility and that voters want a new kind of politics.
The 15th Saeima, Latvia's parliament, has begun its work following the elections of 3 October. One political force, the United List (AS), holds 41 seats. In a commentary for the newspaper NRA, Bens Latkovskis writes that such a large vote of confidence also means heavy responsibility, since it cannot be shared among several parties.
What the public expects
In Latkovskis's view, people expect a different kind of politics from the new Saeima, even more than immediate results. He notes that AS politicians speak of promised "unpopular decisions" without spelling them out. The author argues that what is labelled unpopular is in fact widely wanted, for example cutting spending in public administration and part of the non-governmental sector, and reducing the number of civil servants.
Lessons from the previous term
The commentary recalls that in the 14th Saeima, New Unity (JV) won 26 mandates. According to the author, the party handed the Transport Ministry, where the Rail Baltica project was unfolding, to others, and then suffered a defeat on 3 October. He believes AS cannot repeat this, so responsibility will fall on the party itself and on Andris Kulbergs personally. He also urges against hiding behind a "heavy inheritance".
Priorities
Among the things the public expects, the author lists clarity on Rail Baltica with several development options, including weighing a full freeze of the project. He adds that EU funds could then be redirected to other transport projects. His second priority is a radical review of public administration, so that it does not become a merely cosmetic repair. Latkovskis warns that if reform momentum is lost in the bureaucracy, the old political style will return.
These are the author's opinions, not the newsroom's assessment.
