President wishes election winner United List to keep its feet on the ground

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs has wished the winner of the Saeima election, the political force "Apvienotais saraksts" (United List), not to lose its "grip on the ground", meaning to stay in touch with reality. The Saeima is Latvia's parliament, and the party obtained the largest number of seats in its history. The president spoke on the programme "Kāpēc" (Why) on Delfi TV.

A wish rather than a lecture

Rinkēvičs stressed that he did not want to lecture anyone, since in his view nobody likes being told what to do. Instead, he said, he could only wish from the heart what he reminds himself of every day: not to lose touch with the ground.

Voters' hopes

The head of state urged the United List not to forget that people went to vote hoping that things would change and that they would be listened to more. According to Rinkēvičs, being heard does not mean only writing on social media. He emphasised that it also requires meeting residents in person.

What the president said on the programme is a wish for the winning party, not criticism of specific decisions. The full recording of the programme is available on Delfi's website.