Speaking after the latest round of talks involving the five parties in his prospective coalition government, Kariņš said parties had completed work on a government declaration and agreed on its content, though a final read-through would be given to approve it on Monday 21 January.
Monday is also the day the KPV LV party is scheduled to name a new nominee for the post of Economics Minister following the withdrawal of Didzis Šmits for the position.
Also on Monday Kariņš is scheduled to meet with President Raimonds Vējonis to update him on progress and hopefully receive his blessing to put the government to a Saeima vote which would be scheduled for Wednesday, January 23.
“I expect all factions to be able to take their formal decisions by Monday evening to support the establishment of this government. And we would expect that, at an extraordinary session on Wednesday, we will offer the Saeima a vote on the new government," Kariņš told reporters Saturday.
Five of the seven parties in the 13th Saeima are expected to participate in the government under Kariņš, leaving the Greens and Farmers Union and the Harmony party as the two opposition parties.
In theory the coalition of the New Conservatives, KPV LV, National Alliance, Development/For! and New Unity will control 66 of 100 Saeima seats, though three of KPV LV's MPs have made public statements saying they will not support the government.
On January 7, President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis nominated Krišjānis Karins as Prime Minister after two earlier nominees, Jānis Bordāns of the New Conservatives and Aldis Gobzems of KPV LV, failed to garner enough support to form an administration.
Saeima elections took place on October 6, 2018. Since then PM Māris Kučinskis has continued in a caretaker capacity.
See out recent factual feature for more details of the government formation process.
