Latvia may learn Friday who will be in the proposed new government that in all likelihood will be headed by current Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, according to media reports.

It is already clear that one political party that was mentioned as a potential coalition partner—the center-left and pro-Russian Saskaņas Centrs—will not be at the table for negotiations on how to divide up ministerial portfolios. Whether the nationalist Visu Latvijai! – Tēvzemei un brīvībai / LNNK (VS-TB/LNNK) will be part of the government is doubtful.

Dombrovskis’ party, Vienotība (Unity), won 33 of the 100 seats in the Saeima during the Oct. 2 parliamentary election. Saskaņas Centrs (Harmony Centre), earned 29, while Zaļo un Zemnieku savienība (Union of Greens and Farmers, or ZZS) claimed 22. The center-right Par labu Latviju! (For a Good Latvia!, or PLL) got 8 seats, as did the nationalist VS-TB/LNNK.

All but PLL were mentioned as potential coalition partners in recent days. Now it looks as if just Vienotība and ZZS will form the government, which would give the coalition control of 55 seats in the Saeima.

Although Saskaņas Centrs at first was destined to be in the opposition, Vienotība offered to bring its rival into the negotiations. However, talks broke down before they even started, with each side blaming the other. Saskaņas Centrs officials wanted no preconditions to their participation in a potential coalition government, but Vienotība demanded they acknowledge that Latvia had been occupied by the Soviet Union and that they guarantee the status of the Latvian language.

In an announcement on their party’s website, Vienotība leaders on Oct. 19 expressed unhappiness with Saskaņas Centrs’ unwillingness to agree to the terms.

“These proposals are fundamental,” Dombrovskis said, according to the announcement.

Saskaņas Centrs leader and Rīga Mayor Nils Ušakovs shot back with an Oct. 20 open letter to Dombrovskis. His party is ready to be part of the government and to sign on to the coalition’s declaration of goals, but Saskaņas Centrs does not understand why it was asked to agree to separate terms, Ušakovs wrote.

“It is irrational to blame your country’s citizens, just because they are ethnic Russians, for the crimes of another country’s regime that happened 70 years ago,” Ušakovs said. He added that Dombrovskis’ rhetoric divides people into “right” and “wrong” citizens, between those who are considered loyal and disloyal.

Meanwhile, the potential role of the nationalist VS-TB/LNNK is in doubt. Concerns that the party might be too conservative for the government coalition, including suggestions by some critics that the Visu Latvijai! branch is neo-fascist in orientation, has given politicians pause.

VS-TB/LNNK, in an Oct. 18 announcement on the party’s website, countered that they are ready to serve in the government, but are troubled by suggestions that nationalist issues be put aside.

“This kind of mindset, viewing that for the country’s development the only thing that matters is dealing with economic and social questions, is like building the walls of house while ignoring that the home’s very foundation has rotted away,” VS-TB/LNNK officials said in the announcement.

According to the Latvian constitution, it is up to the president to invite someone to form the new government. The Saeima confirms the government.

Persons who went into exile during World War II, as well as their descendants, would be allowed dual citizenship under newly proposed amendments to Latvia’s citizenship law. Meanwhile, a Latvian-Canadian has turned to the Saeima asking it to restore her citizenship.

Six members of the Vienotība coalition—Uldis-Ivars Grava, Guntis Bērziņš, Anna Seile, Dzintars Ābiķis, Jānis Reirs and Gunārs Laicāns—proposed the amendments to the citizenship law in a bill submitted Oct. 14 in the Saeima.

Under Latvia’s current citizenship law, dual citizenship is not permitted. However, until July 1995 the law allowed exiles and their descendants to reclaim their Latvian citizenship while at the same time keeping the citizenship of their adopted homeland. A total of 30,793 persons obtained dual citizenship under the so-called transitional rule, according to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (Pilsonības un migrācijas lietu pārvalde).

The issue of dual citizenship has gained attention in the past few years because of new immigration from Latvia to countries such as Ireland and the United Kingdom, as well as because of complaints from the exile community that some people either did not know of the 1995 deadline or could not complete the registration process in time.

Under the amendments proposed Oct. 14,  the restriction on dual citizenship would be lifted for children born abroad to parents who are Latvian citizens and who automatically become citizens of the other country; for persons who become citizens of another country through marriage; and for exiles and their descendants. Exiles are those people who were Latvian citizens as of June 17, 1940, and left their homeland from that date up to May 4, 1990, when the Latvian Supreme Council declared the nation’s independence from the Soviet Union.

This is not the first time Latvian politicians have sought to amend the citizenship law. For example, similar amendments pushed last year by the government coalition led by Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovkis failed to gain political support.

Vienotība, in a pre-election party meeting in July, announced that changes to the citizenship law should be on the agenda for the newly elected Saiema.

While the bill proposing the amendments would affect thousands of ethnic Latvians abroad, another bill submitted Oct. 14 seeks to restore Latvian citizenship for just one individual. Pēteris Tabūns, head of the Saeima’s commission on the citizenship law, submitted proposed legislation to recognize Latvian-Canadian Agra Vāgnere as a Latvian citizen.

According to the bill, Vāgnere, who was born in Latvia, moved to Canada in 1989 where she married an ethnic Latvian-Canadian and became a Canadian citizen. She admits failing to register as a Latvian citizen before the 1995 deadline, so now Vāgnere has turned to the Saeima commission for assistance.

Vāgnere’s contributions to the Latvian community in Canada and her work in defending Latvia’s interests abroad have earned her the right to be a Latvian citizen without giving up her Canadian citizenship, according to the bill. Among her community activities has been working with Latvian ethnic schools in Toronto, in 3×3 culture camps and the Daugavas Vanagi women’s auxiliary. She also has served with the Latvian National Federation in Canada (Latviešu Nacionālā apvienība Kanādā) and on the board of the World Federation of Free Latvians (Pasaules brīvo latviešu apvienība).

Vāgnere’s appeal to the citizenship commission is supported by Interior Minister Linda Mūrniece and PBLA Chairman Mārtiņš Sausiņš.