Sociologist: Kulbergs's government shows secrecy and a tendency toward one-man decisions
Sociologist Jurijs Ņikišins says the decisions promised by Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs have not materialised for a month, and sees signs of secrecy and unilateral decision-making. He stops short of calling the premier a populist.
Jurijs Ņikišins, associate professor and lead researcher at the University of Latvia's Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, believes Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs' leadership style shows too much secrecy and a tendency to make decisions alone. He spoke on the TV24 programme “Ziņu top” while assessing a situation in which promised government decisions have still not been made.
Promises without concrete action
According to the source, the public has been told for a month that concrete decisions will soon be announced, yet they have still not appeared. This raises questions not only about the pace of the government's work but also about its style of leadership.
Ņikišins said he is puzzled by this prolonged wait. He noted a certain degree of secrecy in the situation, as well as features of “leader-centred” rule (vadonisms in Latvian). In his words, the impression is that the prime minister wants to think everything through and decide it himself, without hurrying to involve others.
The question of populism
The sociologist also stressed that for now he would not rush to label Kulbergs a populist. In his view, leader-centred rule does not necessarily mean populism. Even so, he said, certain tendencies toward one-man decision-making can already be seen.
“For now I wouldn’t hurry to call Mr Kulbergs a populist, but, as I put it, very slight, certain hints of this one-person decision-making are already visible,” Ņikišins said.
The source does not specify which decisions are awaited, so the expert's assessment concerns the head of government's overall working style and communication with the public.
