Faction Leaders Named for Parties Elected to Latvia's 15th Saeima
The presidium of Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, has announced who will lead the factions of the parties elected to the 15th Saeima. The largest faction, with 41 deputies, will be headed by Māris Kučinskis of the United List.
The presidium of Latvia's parliament, the 15th Saeima, has published the names of the leaders of the factions formed by the political forces elected in the recent parliamentary election. Factions are the basic political units of the Saeima. The source headline refers to five forces, but the published list names six factions.
Faction leaders
The United List won the most seats, 41. Its faction will be led by Māris Kučinskis, with Dāvis Melnalksnis and Raimonds Bergmanis as deputies.
The 17-member faction of the party Latvia First will be headed by Ainārs Šlesers, with Edmunds Zivtiņš as his deputy. The 15-member faction of Sovereign Power/Alliance Young Latvians will be led by Jūlija Stepaņenko, with Rūdolfs Brēmanis as deputy.
The ten-member faction of the Progressives will be led by Andris Šuvajevs, with Agnese Lāce as deputy. The ten-member National Alliance faction will be headed by Artūrs Butāns, with Uģis Mitrevics as deputy. New Unity's seven-member faction will be led by Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, with Inga Bērziņa as deputy.
What factions do
Factions bring together deputies elected from the same candidate list. They formulate political positions on legislation and on the parliament's agenda. Factions may propose changes to the agenda of Saeima sittings and submit amendments to draft laws. Their representatives also have priority in debates when they sign up in advance to speak on behalf of the faction.
A faction requires at least five deputies elected from one list, and deputies cannot switch factions. A deputy who leaves a faction keeps the mandate but becomes unaffiliated and cannot join another faction.
Earlier developments
At its first sitting on 3 November, all 100 deputies took the solemn oath. The same day, Edvards Smiltēns (United List) was chosen as Saeima Speaker, with Raimonds Vējonis (United List) and Ināra Mūrniece (National Alliance) as his deputies. Ramona Petraviča (Latvia First) was appointed secretary, and Antoņina Ņenaševa (Progressives) is her deputy.
