Latvia: Ex-President Levits assesses his presidency

Latvia’s now former president, Egils Levits, believes that he did important work during his presidency, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Levits noted that his work had not been easy, but that popularity was never his priority. He said that Latvia’s national security and nation state had been strengthened during his presidency. Levits revealed that his biggest disappointment was the failure to create the State Council, which would have advised the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, and the government. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said that Levits had made a great contribution to maintaining Latvia’s internal stability. Karins added that his New Unity party would have preferred Levits staying on for one more term, but the number of votes in parliament was not enough to ensure his reelection.