The prime ministerial candidate is demonstrating vigorous activity. However, it seems that the experienced stalwarts of "New Unity" have somewhat cooled the enthusiasm of the potential head of government.
Andris Kulbergs seems to have immersed himself so deeply in the role of prime minister that... he forgot he is still not the prime minister, but merely a candidate! This morning, he began his workday with a meeting with the president of the Bank of Latvia, after which he went to meet with the head of the State Treasury. The goal of the negotiations is to prepare for a possible budget cut in the 2026 budget! On one hand, it is certainly wonderful that Kulbergs wants to hear the experts' opinions and gather necessary information about the budget and potential cuts. On the other hand, this is clearly a "premature shot" - after all, the president tasked Kulbergs with forming a government and a ruling coalition, and Rinkēvičs gave him very little time for this - by Monday, May 25, Kulbergs must report on the work done. So why waste time and energy on budget negotiations now, when the prime ministerial candidate has not even formed a coalition, let alone received a mandate from the Saeima?!
Meanwhile, rumors suggest that "New Unity" is quite skeptical about Kulbergs' action plan - including on budgetary issues. Moreover, "New Unity" believes that the prime ministerial candidate should not exclude the "Progressives" from the negotiation process... It should be noted that the National Alliance is categorically opposed to including the "Progressives" in the coalition.
The most interesting part will begin when it comes to the distribution of ministerial portfolios. If it even gets to that... According to unofficial information, Kulbergs plans to discuss the distribution of responsibilities in the government on Friday - by that time, as Kulbergs hopes, the composition of the coalition will already be clear.
In any case, there are currently no guarantees that Kulbergs will manage to create a majority government by Monday. And the president may not agree to a minority government model, as it essentially does not differ in capabilities and influence from the current resigned government of Siliņš.
"All (potential coalition partners - ed.) are just rambling about school programs, health, and the budget. Instead, we are waiting for a concrete answer about what really needs to be done! Are we going to save airBaltic? Are we going to pay a billion to the Swedish shareholder Telia for their stake in Tet/LMT? How exactly will the savings be implemented? What are the ideas on this matter from the prime ministerial candidate and the coalition? If I were a member of the Saeima, before voting to approve this government, I would want to know the answers to these questions," noted political technologist Jurgis Liepnieks on social media X, and it is hard to disagree with him.
