A former Latvian ambassador to the U.S. has been named to head the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission, the Saeima press office announced Nov. 4.

Ojārs Kalniņš, who grew up in Chicago and went on to be a spokesperson for the American Latvian Association before becoming a diplomat, was elected unanimously by commission members to the chairman’s post. He served as Latvia’s ambassador in Washington, D.C., from 1993-1999.

The Foreign Affairs Commission considers treaties and other legislation involving Latvia’s relations with other countries. The commission also reviews candidates for Latvian ambassadorships.

Kalniņš, who from 2000 led the government-run Latvian Institute information agency, is among candidates from the centrist Vienotība bloc elected Oct. 2 to the Saeima.

Also serving on the Foreign Affairs Commission are Iveta Grigule of the conservative Zaļo un Zemnieku savienība (Union of Greens and Farmers, or ZZS); Sergejs Mirskis of the center-left Saskaņas Centrs (Harmony Centre, or SC); Jānis Dombrava of the nationalist bloc Visu Latvijai! – Tēvzemei un Brīvībai/LNNK (All for Latvia! – For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK); Valentīns Grigorjevs (SC); Atis Lejiņš (Vienotība); Imants Viesturs Lieģis (Vienotība); Linda Mūrniece (Vienotība); Raimonds Rubiks (SC); Staņislavs Šķesters (ZZS); and former President Guntis Ulmanis, who is now a member of parliament representing the conservative blox Par labu Latviju! (For a Good Latvia!).

The Foreign Affairs Commission is one of 16 commissions in the Saeima.

Latvia’s new center-right Cabinet of Ministers, led by incumbent Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis of the Vienotība (Unity) bloc, has been confirmed by the Saeima.

In a special meeting Nov. 3, the parliament approved the coalition government on a 63-35 vote. The centrist Vienotība will control seven ministerial portfolios, while the conservative Zaļo un Zemnieku savienība (Union of Greens and Farmers, or ZZS) will have six.

Voting for the new government were lawmakers from Vienotība and ZZS, who together control 55 seats in the 100-member Saeima, as well as eight deputies from the nationalist bloc, Visu Latvijai! – Tēvzemei un Brīvībai/LNNK. The nationalists backed the new government despite being shut out of it after being assured that they would be part of the Dombrovskis coalition.

Opposing the government were the center-left Saskaņas Centrs (Harmony Centre) and the conservative Par labu Latviju! (For a Good Latvia!) bloc. In early talks about the makeup of the new government, Saskaņas Centrs would have been included in a four-party coalition. However, those negotiations broke down before seeing any progress after Vienotība asked the pro-Russian party to acknowledge the Soviet occupation of Latvia and to guarantee the status of the Latvian language.