RIGA, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The Greens and Farmers Union, the leading party in Latvia's center-right government coalition, has rejected coalition partner Unity's proposal to adopt constitutional amendments under which lawmakers would have to elect the president of Latvia in an open vote.
Unity's vice-chairman Edvards Smiltens told reporters on Monday that Unity had proposed draft amendments to the Latvian Constitution providing for an open vote in presidential elections.
"Unfortunately, the Greens and Farmers Union did not back this proposal," said Smiltens, noting that the problem was not in the rules regulating presidential elections in Latvia but in political horse trading.
Unity was thus forced to drop its proposal because the coalition agreement does not allow to submit constitutional amendments to parliament if they have not been approved by all coalition partners.
In Smiltens' words, Unity believed the initiative was necessary, especially considering strong popular demand for an overhaul of presidential election rules.
Under the current regulations, the president of Latvia is elected by the 100-seat parliament by at least 51 votes.
On June 22, Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis called on lawmakers to amend the constitution so that the next president could be elected in a direct general vote already in 2019, but his initiative has so far received little support. Enditem
