Levits says if new coalition includes ZZS, he would not appoint next PM

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While the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) has not distanced itself from the US-sanctioned Aivars Lembergs, this force has an “oligarchic influence”, the current president, Egils Levits, said on Latvian Radio June 8.

Levits said he would not be prepared to appoint a Prime Minister who would form a coalition with this force.

The current Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (New Unity) wants to expand the coalition possibly by adding ZZS and Progressives, but the current coalition partners – National Alliance and United List – oppose it and negotiations continue.

Levits' term of office will expire on July 8. If, by then, a new coalition is formed, which includes ZZS, then the President must nominate a new Prime Minister.

“I would gladly leave this task to the next president. Not with my hands,” Levits told Latvian Radio.

He said that ZZS, regardless of what they say, has known oligarchic influences, even if everyone as if s distanced themselves from Lembergs, and “this can create reputational problems for us with our allies”, especially the US.

This problem could be solved by ZZS itself because without this aspect, ZZS “is a solid, traditional, moderately conservative party”, said Levits.

He also pointed out that there were ideological contradictions between ZZS and the Progressives, but in his opinion, if both forces abandoned their “most radical” ideas, their cooperation is possible.

Levits has a month left before the end of his term, and if a coalition with ZZS were formed, he pointed out that the president had no deadline for the appointment of the Prime Minister's candidate, “I certainly would not have rush if there was such a situation”.

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