RIGA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The ruling coalition in Riga has agreed on a new candidate for the Latvian capital city's mayor, politicians told reporters on Friday.
After talks held on Friday, representatives of the city council's two ruling partners -- the regional party Honor to Serve Riga (GKR) and the left-wing Harmony -- affirmed their support for Olegs Burovs of GKR as the new candidate for Riga mayor.
Riga City Council has to elect a new mayor after previous city mayor Dainis Turlais was removed from office in a no-confidence vote on June 20. The city council may face dissolution if it fails to install a new mayor within the next two months.
To secure the election of their candidate, GKR and Harmony will have to negotiate with opposition parties since the coalition no longer has clear majority on the city council after four Harmony members were kicked out of the party for "gross violations of party discipline".
Anna Vladova, leader of the Harmony faction on the city council, said after Friday's talks that "if needed", Harmony is ready for negotiations with all other political parties and factions, including the four councilors expelled from Harmony, and that Harmony would back GKR party's candidate for Riga mayor.
Meanwhile, nearly all politicians of the city's center-right opposition have ruled out support for Burovs as mayoral candidate and are calling for a snap municipal election.
GKR is nevertheless determined to continue negotiations with the city council's political factions next week.
