Latvia's ruling bloc names PM candidate ahead of parliamentary election

RIGA, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Latvia's ruling Greens and Farmers Union (ZZS) has chosen incumbent Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis as its candidate to head the next government, which will be formed after this year's parliamentary election, Armands Krauze, a ZZS leader said Friday on public radio.

Krauze, chairman of ZZS member Latvian Union of Farmers, said Kucinskis had already demonstrated his ability to run the country by successfully handling a number of reforms.

Krauze also said that ZZS would not form partnerships with the opposition leftist Harmony party and the Russian Union of Latvia, but that otherwise they have no political "red lines".

The key ZZS members -- the Latvian Union of Farmers and the Green Party of Latvia -- have no plans to merge into one party, Krauze said, adding that the current cooperation model had stood the test of time, but that each party had its own goals and objectives.

Latvia is to hold a parliamentary election in October 2018. Enditem