Latvian president nominates Kulbergs as prime minister-designate

RIGA - Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has announced that he has entrusted Andris Kulbergs, a member of parliament from the opposition United List party, with the formation of a new government.

At a press conference on Saturday, Rinkevics said that he had held intensive consultations in recent days with representatives of the political parties and factions in the Saeima, following the resignation announcement by outgoing Prime Minister Evika Silina from New Unity.

Taking into account the results of the consultations, Rinkevics said he saw an opportunity to form a government by entrusting it to representatives of the opposition. He explained that this was linked both to recent political dynamics and the need to give the opposition a chance to propose a new approach.

Rinkevics also said that he expects a report on significant progress from the prime minister-designate by May 25, including the specific outline of the coalition, the division of responsibilities among the parties, and a draft of the government's declaration.

Silina announced her resignation on Thursday after the country's three-party coalition government of the New Unity, the Progressives, and the Union of Greens and Farmers, collapsed, just months before the parliamentary elections in early October.