Two ruling parties back defence minister for Latvian presidency

Latvia's ruling centrist Greens and Farmers Union (ZZS) on Monday named Defence Minister Raimonds Vejonis as its candidate for the Latvian presidency.

Augusts Brigmanis, chairman of the ZZS faction in parliament, told the press that the ZZS board had to choose between two possible presidential nominees -- Defence Minister Vejonis, who is also a co-chair of the Green Party, which is a member of ZZS, and Uldis Sesks, mayor of the south-western Latvian city of Liepaja.

Later in the afternoon, the ruling center-right Unity party endorsed Vejonis' candidacy, even though it had earlier named Artis Pabriks, a Latvian member of the European Parliament, as its possible presidential candidate.

Unity leader Solvita Aboltina told journalists although the party's board and parliament faction had agreed to back Vejonis for Latvia's next presidential run, some party members were still inclined to support the candidacy of Egils Levits, a judge at the European Court of Justice, proposed by the third coalition partner, the right-wing National Alliance.

Aboltina said the Unity faction realized that it was of "utmost importance for the coalition to have a single presidential candidate and that the Unity therefore would not nominate its own candidate."

Meanwhile, the National Alliance said although Vejonis was a fairly "agreeable candidate," an agreement was reached with some Unity and opposition lawmakers on support for Levits.

Imants Paradnieks, a member of parliament (MP) from the National Alliance, said that the alliance would certainly nominate Levits and that a deal had been reached with several MPs from other factions on support for this candidate.

The official nomination of presidential candidates begins on May 19. The parliament is due to elect Latvia's next president as incumbent President Andris Berzins' four-year term in office ends this summer. Endit