The government of Prime Minister Indulis Emsis has survived a vote of no confidence. Members of the Saeima, Latvia’s parliament, defeated a no-confidence resolution offered by the leftist Tautas saskaņas partija (National Harmony Party) in a 45-32 vote.

Emsis, whose minority coalition government took power in March, has seen his administration targeted by critics from both the left and the right. Especially vocal has been the conservative Jaunais laiks (New Era) party, led by the previous prime minister, Einars Repše.

Members of the National Harmony Party and of New Era supported the resolution, but members of parties that have a presence in the government voted against the resolution, according to Latvian media reports.

No one abstained in the Sept. 16 vote, although members of the conservative Tēvzemei un Brīvībai/LNNK (For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK) and the leftist Par cilvēka tiesībām vienotā Latvijā  (For Human Rights in United Latvia) did not cast ballots.

Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga will visit Portugal from Sept. 13-16 to meet with political and business leaders in Lisbon and Porto, the president’s press office has announced.

Vīķe-Freiberga will meet Sept. 14 with Portuguese President Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio as well as with members of the country’s parliament. She also is expected to speak to city officials in Lisbon.

On Sept. 15, the Latvian president will meet with Prime Minister Pedro Santana Lopes, attend a business forum and give a speech, “Latvia in the New Europe,” at Universidade Lusiada.

A visit to Porto, Portugal’s second largest city, is on the schedule for Sept. 16. Vīķe-Freiberga will meet with local political and business leaders, as well as unveil a memorial at the Latvian honorary consulate in Porto.

Vīķe-Freiberga will be accompanied on the visit by her husband, Imants Freibergs.

U.S. President George W. Bush has nominated Catherine Todd Bailey of Kentucky to be the next American ambassador to Latvia. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she would replace Brian E. Carlson, who has served as the ambassador since 2001.

Bailey is not a career diplomat, but has been a strong supporter of the Bush Administration, according to press reports. She is a national committeewoman for the Republican Party in Kentucky, according to the Republican National Committee. She and her husband, Irving Bailey of the venture capital firm Chrysalis Ventures, are top donors to the Bush campaign for reelection.

Bailey also is founder and president of Operation Open Arms, a charity that cares for children of incarcerated mothers.

The White House announced Bailey’s nomination on Sept. 8.