LATVIA: Latvia's parliament approved Europe's first Green Party prime minister yesterday, but he faces a formidable task holding together his minority government while leading the Baltic nation into the EU and NATO.
A three-party coalition, led by Mr Indulis Emsis, a former environment minister and well-known ecological campaigner, barely scraped together enough votes and will have to govern as a minority in a parliament riven with personal conflict.
His government will be Latvia's 11th since the country of 2.3 million declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. It fills a void ahead of NATO accession next month and EU membership on May 1st.
President Vaira Vike-Freiberga nominated Mr Emsis (52), who is seen as a conciliatory figure, after a right-wing coalition led by Mr Einars Epse collapsed last month amid bitter squabbling.
That enmity made it impossible to form another majority government, and Mr Emsis' coalition of his own Union of Farmers and Greens, the conservative People's Party and the Christian Democratic Latvia's First Party will be four votes short of a majority and faces opposition from the still-powerful Mr Repse.
Mr Emsis said he would face a constant juggling act to keep his government together. "Our job will be very difficult, but I am sure we will find the support we need according to each issue - sometimes from the right, sometimes from the left," he added.
