Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs plans to begin formal coalition negotiations on 28 October, extending the interval between the country’s parliamentary election and substantive talks over its next government.
Public broadcaster LSM reported on 20 October that Kulbergs’ United List would meet the National Alliance and New Unity, its current coalition partners, before continuing discussions with other parties represented in parliament.
The meetings had initially been expected this week. Following a coalition meeting on 19 October, Kulbergs said urgent personal matters required him to travel outside Latvia, postponing the negotiations by a week.
The prime minister has indicated that discussions should first establish common objectives, working arrangements and accountability. He has not ruled out different governing formats, including a minority administration, and has denied that ministerial positions have already been distributed. eng.lsm.lv
The official results, confirmed by the Central Election Commission on 16 October, give United List a strong negotiating position without allowing it to govern alone. The party secured 41 seats in the 100-member Saeima in the election held on 3 October.
The National Alliance won ten seats and New Unity seven. Together with United List, those parties would hold 58 seats, providing a numerical majority if they agreed to continue their partnership.
A United List–National Alliance administration would have 51 seats, leaving a much narrower margin. United List and New Unity alone would hold 48, requiring support from outside the two parties to command a majority.
These calculations describe possible parliamentary combinations, rather than agreements already reached. They nevertheless explain why the negotiations involve a choice between a broader coalition and arrangements dependent on particularly close coordination or outside support.
Among the other parties, Latvia First secured 17 seats, Sovereign Power/Union of New Latvians 15, and the Progressives ten. The distribution leaves several negotiating possibilities, although electoral arithmetic by itself cannot establish whether parties can agree on policy. eng.lsm.lv
National Alliance representative Jānis Eglīts has argued that the parties should agree on their goals and methods before deciding the government’s composition. His comments suggest that the opening talks will concern the substance and organisation of cooperation as much as individual appointments. eng.lsm.lv
The next test comes on 28 October: whether United List can turn its electoral advantage into a shared programme with enough parliamentary support to sustain a government.
