The government of Latvia today celebrated 100 days in power. Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis (Unity) convened a press conference and explained that the government's plan is to continue all the way to the next election.
That is, as I see it an entirely realistic goal, though not very usual in Latvia. I wrote about this the days and weeks after the election in October. The results were so clear that it created a base likely to give the country a government for a full term.
A few months before the election, I met Dombrovskis in his government office. In the short conversation we had, I said that I thought the goal of the election should be a government lasting a full term. Dombrovskis, who is a cautious man, explained that "that has never happened in the history of Latvia".
No, that is true, but someone must be the first! I am convinced that the current government can succeed, even if the problems they are facing are many. For the political stability and for the continued economic reform process it would indeed be an advantage if Latvia could avoid time-consuming changes of governments and tempo losses in the coming years.
At the press conference today Dombrovskis explained that the tasks ahead are about overcoming the shadow economy, to continue a tough fiscal policy and at the same time make unemployment come down and needs to get better management of state enterprises.
It is also about making public administration more efficient and to upgrade the country's energy policy.
The current government was approved by the Saeima November 3, 2010, one month and one day after the election. It consists of the Unity Alliance and the Union of Greens and Farmers. It has the support of 55 of the 100 parliamentarians.
In about a month Valdis Dombrovskis will be celebrating his two-year anniversary as Prime Minister. He also led the previous government, which took office March 12, 2009.
The current government is the 35th in Latvia's history. This history is of course divided into two periods with a longer break marked by occupation. Since the total is about a period of more than 40 years all recognize that governments usually are not very persistent in Latvia.
Eight of the governments were, during the first freedom time, by the legendary Karlis Ulmanis, (photo above on a statue i central Riga) who also became president and who then disappeared, never to be found, in Soviet captivity in Siberia. Over the past more than 20 years, Latvia has had 14 governments. Three have been led by Andris Skele (People's Party) today in opposition in the Saeima.
(Andra intressanta bloggar om politik, Lettland, Baltikum, Europa)
(Andra intressanta bloggar om politics, Latvia, Baltcs, Europe)
