Latvia: PM nominee plans grand coalition

Latvia’s prime ministerial nominee, MP Andris Kulbergs of the opposition United List, will seek to put together as broad a coalition government as possible, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Kulbergs suggested forming a coalition of all five political groups in the current parliament, the Saeima, except the populist Latvia First (LPV). He…

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Latvia: President begins talks on new government

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has begun consultations with parliamentary groups on forming a new government, Baltic News reports. The President stressed the need to ensure political stability, effective governance, and national security continuity. The discussions are focused on how to build a working coalition in the parliament, the Saeima, and on the future direction of…

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Estonia: Non-EU nationals banned from financing parties

The Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, has passed amendments banning citizens of hostile third countries from making donations to Estonian political parties, ERR reports. Earlier, Estonia precluded non-EU nationals from voting in local elections. The Riigikogu expanded also the supervisory powers of the Political Party Funding Surveillance Committee (ERJK), allowing the body to request documents and…

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Latvia: Populist party pushes pension reform referendum

Latvia’s Central Election Commission (CVK) has registered a signature campaign for holding a referendum on changing the country’s state-funded pension system, LSM reports. The populist opposition party, Latvia First (LPV), initiated the referendum campaign after the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, rejected the party’s legislative proposal. The referendum campaign is very unlikely to succeed, however. Under…

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