Latvia’s Parliament — the Saeima — on Wednesday approved the second government of Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins more than two months after elections in which his party, New Unity, won 19 percent of the vote.
In Wednesday’s session, 54 deputies voted in favor of Karins’ cabinet, while 37 did not give their approval. In addition to the 26 New Unity deputies, 15 deputies from the United List and 13 from the National Alliance said ‘yes’, according to the Latvian daily ‘Diena’.
With these results, the coalition led by Karins will have a slight majority. The Union of Greens and Peasants, For Stability, Progressives and Latvia in the first place will be in the opposition.
The new cabinet will include four three well-known members of the previous government in addition to Karins. These are Foreign Minister Edgar Rinkevich, Economy Minister Ilze Indriksone and Culture Minister Nauris Puntulis.
«We must all mobilize for economic growth that improves our lives and those of future generations,» remarks the government’s statement, which has set five goals for the next legislature: security, education, energy, competitiveness and quality of life.
