- Title: LATVIA-GOVERNMENT/VOTE Latvian parliament approves the new Straujuma government
- Date: 5th November 2014
- Summary: RIGA, LATVIA (NOVEMBER 5, 2014) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** PARLIAMENT SESSION MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT DURING SESSION LATVIAN PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE LAIMDOTA STRAUJUMA GIVING SPEECH AHEAD OF APPROVAL VARIOUS OF PARLIAMENT MEMBERS DURING SESSION PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (Latvian) LATVIAN PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE, LAIMDOTA STRAUJUMA, SAYING: "I invite you to declare your confidence in the cabinet of ministers as well its planned tasks. The newly-formed government is professional and willing to act. We have balanced both fresh views and experience." PARLIAMENT SESSION STRAUJUMA LISTENING TO DEBATE PARLIAMENT SESSION CONFIDENCE VOTE - LEADER OF PARTY SHOWING GREEN CARD AS SIGN TO VOTE "YES" MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT APPLAUDING TO STRAUJUMA AND NEW GOVERNMENT, STRAUJUMA RECEIVING FLOWERS VARIOUS OF STRAUJUMA BEING CONGRATULATED STRAUJUMA APPROACHING JOURNALISTS JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Latvian) PRIME MINISTER, LAIMDOTA STRAUJUMA SAYING: "We will never recognize the annexation of Crimea, and we will never be able to support the escalation of violence in Eastern or Southern Ukraine. Our position remains the same." JOURNALISTS HOLDING VOICE RECORDERS (SOUNDBITE) (Latvian) PRIME MINISTER, LAIMDOTA STRAUJUMA SAYING: "We have received clear promises from the U.S. vice-president and the leaders of key Western countries that article V [of the NATO-treaty] does not exist only on paper. Therefore the focus [on defence] as it was in the beginning of the year has now shifted to welfare, because people have to have a perspective of a prosperous life here in Latvia." STRAUJUMA LEAVING
- Embargoed: 20th November 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Latvia
- Country: Latvia
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAE4T8KGQOIQDZYB9HUTUHSJCQD
- Story Text: The Latvian parliament on Wednesday (November 5) approved the new government to be headed by Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma from the ruling centre-right Unity party.
"We have balanced both fresh views and experience," Straujuma said ahead of the vote of confidence in parliament.
The 100-member parliament passed a motion of confidence in the new government with 61 votes for and 39 against.
Three parties - Unity, the centre-right Greens and Farmers Union, and the nationalist conservative National Alliance - will form the new coalition government. The new cabinet will include seven ministers, who already served in the previous Cabinet headed by Straujuma.
After the vote, Straujuma said Latvia's foreign policy and attitude towards Russia will remain the same. Latvia will hold the EU presidency in the first half of the 2015.
"We will never recognize the annexation of Crimea, and we will never be able to support the escalation of violence in Eastern or Southern Ukraine. Our position remains the same," Straujuma said.
When asked why the pre-election debate was dominated by geopolitical issues while now economical issues like economic growth prevailed, Straujuma said:
"We have received clear promises from the U.S. vice-president and the leaders of key Western countries that article V [of the NATO-treaty] does not exist only on paper. Therefore the focus [on defence] as it was in the beginning of the year has now shifted to welfare, because people have to have a perspective of a prosperous life here in Latvia."
Straujuma, 63, is the first female Prime Minister in Latvia. She took her first office in January of 2014 after the previous Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis resigned taking responsibility after super-market roof collapsed killing 54 people in November, 2014.
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