Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has nominated New Unity’s Evika Silina for prime minister, LETA reports. Silina would replace New Unity leader Krisjanis Karins, who announced his resignation from the premiership earlier. Silina serves as minister of welfare in the current government. Rinkevics expressed confidence that Silina would be able to form the broadest possible coalition…
Lithuanian experts regard Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, President Gitanas Nauseda, and Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis as the country’s most influential politicians in 2023, according to Reitingai magazine’s poll for DELFI, BNS reports. Reitingai interviewed 999 public figures in May-June 2023 for the survey. A separate Spinter Tyrimai poll showed that the public regards Nauseda as…
The Estonian nation has never been extinguished despite having once lost independence through occupation and oppression, Estonia’s President, Alar Karis, stated, ERR reports. Speaking on Estonia’s 32nd Independence Restoration Day, Karis said that the Estonian state was founded on “liberty, justice, and the rule of law,” in that order. He said that freedom constituted the…
Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins announced that he intended to resign, LSM reports. He said that he would inform President Edgars Rinkevics about the resignation on 17 August 2023. Karins said that he would not head the next government and called on his New Unity party to nominate a new candidate for prime minister. Earlier,…
Estonia should strengthen cooperation with Taiwan and consider opening a Taiwanese representative office (Taipei Mission) in Tallinn, Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, stated, ERR reports. Speaking after a joint visit by the heads of the foreign affairs committees of Baltic parliaments to Taiwan, Mihkelson noted that…
The state budget control select committee of Estonia’s parliament, the Riigikogu, held an extraordinary session on 8 August 2023 to discuss a controversy over alleged “horse trading” by the Office of the President, ERR reports. Earlier, presidential adviser Toomas Sildam had an informal discussion with Merike Saks, secretary general of the Ministry of Finance, in…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics called for a review of existing electricity distribution tariffs, LSM reports. Speaking after a meeting with Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, Rinkevics said that the behaviour of the market regulator, the Public Utilities Commission (SPRK), was “unacceptable.” He insisted that the increase in electricity tariffs was “disproportionate.” The new tariffs came into…
The chairmen of the foreign affairs committees of the Baltic parliaments — Marko Mihkelson from Estonia, Rihards Kols from Latvia, and Zygimantas Pavilionis from Lithuania — will pay a joint visit to Taiwan, ERR reports. They will meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Legislative Yuan president You Si-kun, Prime Minister Chen Chien-jen, Foreign Minister Joseph…
Estonian media reported that the Office of the President has made the promulgation of legislation passed by the parliament, the Riigikogu, contingent on the government agreeing to allocate additional funding, ERR reports. An anonymous minister told Postimees that Peep Jahilo, head of the Office of the President, requested an additional EUR 360,000 of funding from government…