Page 20 - Central & Southeast Outlook 2020

His two closest political allies within the EU, former Austrian vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache and former Italian interior minister Mattheo Salvini, are no longer in power. The EPP's three-member evaluation committee led by Herman Van Rompuy will assess Hungary's judicial independence, freedom of expression, corruption and the situation of refugees during their visit in 2020. The findings of these reports could determine the future of Fidesz within the group. At present, the voting right of the Hungarian conservative party is suspended.
2.4 ​Politics - Latvia
There is no election in Latvia and the next vote is going to be for local government only in 2021, an arguably slightly less important contest. The political scene is fragmented, however, and the government is at risk of collapse. The incumbent five-party coalition led by Krisjans Karins appears fractious, as the coalition talks took full three months to complete.
Karins’ own Unity Party will govern in coalition with the New Conservative Party, the populist KPV, the National Alliance, and liberal For Development/For! The coalition has a majority of 61 seats in the 100-seat parliament. The pro-Russian Harmony party and the Union of Greens and Farmers were left out.
The Karins’ government pledged to put cleaning up the country’s financial sector top of his priority list. That is sorely needed in Latvia, where the governor of the central bank is being tried on charges of corruption and where the third largest bank ABLV shut shop a year ago following US charges of money laundering and financing the North Korea regime.
PM Karins also wants to tackle corruption, carry out a reform of the education system, and improve healthcare.
“We will complete regional reform and have clearer local government structure, as well as improved education system and better health care across Latvia. We will continue to strengthen the rule of law through our judicial system,” Karins told Latvian in a televised address on January 1.
Overall, Latvia will continue its Euro-Atlantic course, as has been the case since becoming independent of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
Current poll standings of the main parties see Harmony - the party whose electorate is mostly Latvian Russians - at 21%, followed by the PM’s Unity at 14% and the coalition member National Alliance at 13%. The opposition Union of Greens and Farmers is at 12%. Co-ruling New Conservative Party is close behind at 11% and another coalition partner, the liberal Movement For!, is at 10%. The smallest coalition party, the anti-establishment KPV is at 4%.
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