HELSINKI (AP) ā Three Latvian parties signed a deal Wednesday to form a coalition government more than two months after a general election in the Baltic country that was shaped by neighboring Russiaās war in Ukraine and economic woes.
The new Cabinet will be led by Prime Minister Krisjanis Karinsā ruling center-right New Unity party, which won the most votes, 19%, in the Oct. 1 general election. The junior partners will be the conservative National Alliance and the new centrist electoral alliance United List.
The parties pledged to direct the new governmentās work to five areas in particular: Latviaās security, education, energy, competitiveness and quality of life.
In a joint declaration, the parties stressed that the goal of the second government of Karin, who has been prime minister since 2019, is āthe transformation of the economyā through polices that āprovide security and prosperity to the people of Latvia.ā
The parties would control 54 seats in Latviaās 100-seat parliament, the Saeima, which still needs to approve the deal in a vote. Only seven parties or electoral alliances passed the 5% barrier in the election and secured representation in the legislature.
Most notably, none of the parties catering to Latviaās sizable ethnic Russian minority, which makes up more than 25% of the countryās 1.9 million people, managed to secure a seat in the parliament.
Latvia has been a member of NATO and the European Union since 2004.