United News of Bangladesh

Latvia’s pro-Ukraine Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’ four-party coalition secured 35% of the vote in the parliamentary election, with lawmakers expected to begin negotiations on forming a new government on Sunday. A political crisis in May over the government’s handling of stray drones suspected to have come from Ukraine led to the collapse of the previous governing coalition, which had also faced disagreements over several other issues. Parliament, known as the Saeima, subsequently approved a new coalition led by Kulbergs of the centrist United List party, which had previously been in opposition. Latvia, along with its Baltic neighbours Lithuania and Estonia, strongly supports Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion. The country shares borders with Russia and Belarus, a close ally of Moscow. Saturday’s election took place as Latvia, a small country on NATO’s eastern flank, faces growing concerns over the possibility of Russian aggression. Election data showed voter turnout exceeded 51%. Nearly 1.56 million people in the country, which has a population of more than 1.8 million, were eligible to elect 100 members of the single-chamber parliament for a four-year term. The United List party is expected to secure 42 seats in parliament. However, the fragmented political landscape means the formation of a multiparty coalition will be necessary to govern. Political parties must secure at least 5% of the vote to win seats in parliament.