LATVIA: New coalition collapses as one of the three parties suffers a defection

Record ID: 216295

  • Title: LATVIA: New coalition collapses as one of the three parties suffers a defection
  • Date: 18th October 2011
  • Summary: RIGA, LATVIA (OCTOBER 17, 2011) (REUTERS) DEPUTIES HEADING TO VOTE FOR PARLIAMENT SPEAKER CLOSE OF CANDIDATE FOR SPEAKER SEAT VALDIS ZATLERS TALKING TO DEPUTY DEPUTIES QUEUING FOR CLOSED VOTE SIX DEPUTIES THAT WALKED OUT OF ZATLERS PARTY ON SUNDAY, WAITING FOR VOTE RESULTS ZATLERS TALKING TO CURRENT SPEAKER SOLVITA ABOLTINA DEPUTIES THAT WALKED OUT OF ZATLERS PARTY ON SUND
  • Embargoed: 2nd November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Latvia, Latvia
  • Country: Latvia
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAA2TFEKEMXVXYY5BXCWRMM11MB
  • Story Text: Latvia's newly formed coalition government collapsed unexpectedly on Monday (October 17) after almost a quarter of the legislators of one of the three parties planning to form a coalition defected.
    Current Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis had been hoping to return as head of government in a coalition of his Unity party with the Reform Party of former President Valdis Zatlers and a nationalist bloc.
    But six of the 22 members of parliament from Zatlers' party split off on Sunday due to internal squabbling and said in a statement they would form their own parliamentary group.
    In a further sign of infighting Zatlers also failed to gain enough votes in a ballot to become parliament speaker, a position the parties had previously agreed would be his.
    In theory, the new Dombrovskis coalition is left with only 50 seats in the 100 seat parliament. Dombrovskis expressed his anger after the vote that promises were not being kept.
    "This time there are no oligarchs to blame. This is the same coalition of reforms and rule of law that apparently cannot ensure the votes that were promised. We will continue the negotiations but the beginning is quite pitiful," he said to journalists after the coalition collapse.
    Disagreements in the party set to be a core member of the coalition raised questions about the planned government's stability after negotiations which have already been difficult.
    The three political groups only agreed last Monday to form a coalition, pushing aside a party traditionally backed by Latvia's large Russian minority, which had hoped to be in the coalition.
    The defections may revive the hopes of other parties like the Greens and Farmers Union of entering a coalition.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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