The golden voice that the nationalists did not notice.
Andris Kolbergs is expected to form a government by November 18, the day of the declaration of the Republic of Latvia. But there are a few days left before the holiday, and the negotiations with the national association are still stuck. Nationalists cannot understand how much power they are entitled to.
After the elections, the joint list has 41 deputies, the National Union has ten. Together we get 51 votes out of a hundred. Not saying it's an impressive majority, but the nationalists have already demanded the status of an equal partner.
That is, the party, which has four times less mandates, wants to determine the government's policy equally. Apparently, the size of the faction is such a trifle that real lions don't need to pay attention to it.
And we are not talking about a beautiful formula in a coalition agreement. The National Association requests one of the economic ministries, demands that the Ministry of the Interior be left in the hands of Janis Dumbarba, and insists on a special procedure for making fundamental decisions.
The latter is necessary so that the "joint list" cannot reach an agreement with the opposition and pass a law that is fundamental to the NA against its will. It turns out that this is strange: not only do ten delegates require a chair, they also want to limit in advance the freedom of maneuver of forty-one.
Meanwhile, a majority of 51 votes is a very fragile structure. If, with the full composition of the Symes, one of the coalition members abstains or votes against, the law will no longer pass without additional support.
Then a man arrives on the scene whom the nationalists prefer not to pay attention to. They refuse to join the same coalition with his party, but they cannot forbid it to vote in the Seimas.
"Latvia First" leader Einar Selser has 17 seats. He offered Kohlberg support for the reforms and allows his entire faction to vote in favor of the budget, although he does not intend to join the government. Moreover, Selser undertakes to evaluate each law separately. If you don't like it, it won't give you votes. If you like it, it will help you carry it out.