Meeting between the PM and the president just finished. The PM presented his plan for the next six weeks to the president. After the meeting was over the president Zatlers resolutely announced that he is not content with the plan of the PM and reckons that the PM should resign tomorrow. The PM after the meeting announced that he plans to resign in December 5, 2007.
It means that the PM and governing coalition wants to bundle the budget vote with the vote of confidence for the renewed cabinet of Aigars Kalvītis. As I said already yesterday, proposed ministers are Māris Riekstiņš (TP) for the Foreign office, Madam Purne (ZZS) for the Welfare office, Mr Broks (TB/LNNK) for the Ministry of Economics, and Māris Krastiņš (TP) for the Ministry of Regional affairs.
It is rumoured that one of the major actors of the Jūrmalgate Mr German Milušs ir intorrogated by the Anti Corruption Agency (KNAB). Mr Milušs performed the role of transmission belt between the former prime minister Šķēle and Latvian transport supremo Mr Šlesers in the affair of buying votes for the Maire of Jūrmala election. Perhaps, there is also some new information coming out finally?
Anyway, there are already 4 members of the People's party (TP) who have publickly announced that Mr Šķēle should quit the party and that TP needs new leadership (internal revolt on the deck). The four members are Dzintars Ābiķis, Jānis Lagzdiņš, Artis Pabriks, and Vaira Paegle.
Does it mean that the governing coalition is in dissaray, no I do not think so, but confused they are! Nobody really knows how badly the coalition is damaged. Nobody knows official names of "Lembergs stipend receivers" yet, and thus it is impossible to predict the voting result for the 2008 budget. One issue is sure - the opposition parties should vote AGAINST. And tonight Kas notiek Latvijā? TV show will be specificaly devoted to THIS VERY BUDGET VOTING issue, and after the TV LIVE show it will be possible to start analye and predict tomorrow's events.
A bientot! Talk to you soon! Kuulmiseni! Uz drīzu saredzēšanos!
1 comment:
Hmmm...an internal coup in Tautas? Paegle and Pabriks and the "P-Team" take over? I worry because you know Latvian politics revolve around (in public) single individuals and (in private) economic interests.
If Vaira, Artis and others can't replace the deep pockets of our flower man, TP won't go their way. Maybe it's time for them to find a few "good" donors and start a new centre-right party. Problem is that Vaira is more conservative and Artis more liberal, so will this be Isamaaliit or Reform redux?
The stranglehold of Latvian politics by these "wannabe oligarchs" (funny, when I wrote that analysis for the UK government back in the early part of this decade, people thought it was funny and didn't see it as serious) must end for Latvian politics to develop from post-Soviet to truly Western.
Are there enough good, wealthy people in Latvia that will challenge these "oligarchs"?
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