LATVIA: Latvia's government collapsed yesterday over its plans for the Baltic state's 2005 budget, putting Europe's only Green Party prime minister out of a job as he arrived in Rome to sign the European Union constitution.
The defeat of the government, Latvia's 11th since it escaped the Soviet Union in 1991, could also create more problems for the proposed team of embattled incoming Commission president José Manuel Barroso: Latvia's candidate for the executive was a controversial nominee from Prime Minister Mr Indulis Emsis' Greens and Farmers bloc.
Parliament voted 53-39 against the budget plan, with a centre-right member of the coalition, the People's Party, using their votes to bring down the government that had run the nation of 2.3 million for just seven months and oversaw its entry into the EU in May.
Latvia's conservative forces had persistently berated the mild-mannered Mr Emsis for co-operating with left-wingers, calling it tantamount to collaboration with Moscow.
People Party Party member Mr Artis Pabriks, the foreign minister, said Mr Emsis had tried to force through "populist" increases in social spending.
"This is the first time in Latvian history that a government falls due to a negative vote on the budget," he said.
"The good thing is that there are no bad relations between the coalition partners. I think it will take two to three weeks until we will see a new government in place."
The People's Party swiftly entered negotiations with other right-wing groups to form a new coalition, with the popular New Era party of former prime minister Mr Einars Repse keen to form the core of the next government. "If I am appointed to form a new government, I am ready to do it," Mr Repse said. "But I will not insist on my candidacy. The main thing is to form a right-wing, free-market-orientated coalition."
President Vaira Vike-Freiberga was non-committal on who she would nominate to form a new government: "I will talk to all political forces. It will take some time."
Latvia's right-wingers also looked likely to oppose the Green and Farmers group's candidate for the European Commission, Ms Ingrida Udre, who was nominated to replace People's Party favourite Ms Sandra Kalniete.
"It will very much depend on what our sister parties in the European Parliament do and whatever transpires. . . in Rome," People's Party parliamentary chairman Mr Aigars Kalvitis said of Ms Udre's candidacy.
