RIGA, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Egils Levits, a judge at the European Court of Justice, has accepted his nomination for Latvia's next president, the presidential candidate has confirmed on public TV.
Earlier on Monday, Latvia's center-right government coalition announced their decision to nominate Levits for the Latvian presidency. Lawmakers are due to elect the next president of Latvia at the end of May or early June.
To get elected, Levits has to secure at least 51 lawmakers' votes in the presidential elections. So far, at least 53 MPs have pledged their support for him as the presidential candidate.
"It is highly important and significant that all parties in the government coalition, which represent the majority and diversity of Latvia's voting population, have managed to agree on this important matter and come to this decision. Of course, I would be grateful for the opportunity to serve Latvia," Levits said on Monday night.
Levits said previously that he would not want and could not be a presidential candidate backed by just one party. He said he would run for the presidency if he has the support of the entire government coalition and a guaranteed majority in the parliament.
However, some lawmakers from the KPV LV faction, a newcomer in Latvia's government coalition, might still refuse to support Levits, and the KPV LV faction has said it will let its members vote according to their conscience.
Meanwhile, opposition parties might also nominate some rival candidates. Incumbent President Raimonds Vejonis has not yet said whether he would seek a second term in office.
The opposition Green Party of Latvia said previously it was ready to back Vejonis but after the coalition's latest announcement the incumbent president's reelection prospects have diminished.
