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.

Latvian President Valdis Zatlers has formally invited current Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis to form the country’s next government.

The president’s invitation was announced the afternoon of Nov. 2, after Zatlers addressed the new parliament and told deputies that, as expected, he would ask Dombrovskis to continue to run the government. It is expected the new government will be confirmed in a special meeting of the Saeima on Nov. 3.

The announcement came after weeks of negotiations between Dombrovskis’ Vienotība (Unity) bloc and other political forces. Last week it became clear that the new government would be a coalition just two blocs, the centrist Vienotība and the conservative Zaļo un Zemnieku savienība (Union of Greens and Farmers, or ZZS).

Vienotība will control seven of the 13 ministerial portfolios in the new government, with ZZS getting the other six.

The seven candidates Vienotība has proposed include Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis as foreign minister, Artis Pabriks as defense minister, Sarmīte Ēlerte as culture minister, Aigars Štokenbergs as justice minister and Andris Vilks as finance minister. Current Economics Minister Artis Kampars and Interior Minister Linda Mūrniece would retain their portfolios.

ZZS, meanwhile, announced Nov. 1 that its candidates for the remaining posts include Juris Bārzdiņš as health minister, Uldis Augulis as transport minister, Rolands Broks as education minister and Ilona Jurševska as welfare minister. Jānis Duklavs would continue as agriculture minister, while Raimonds Vējonis would keep his job but with expanded responsibilities as head of the Ministry of the Environment.

Vienotība and ZZS have agreed to eliminate the current Ministry of Regional Development and Local Government Affairs, handing its responsibilities to the environment ministry.

Confirmation of the new government by the Saeima is fairly certain because Vienotība and ZZS together control 55 of the parliament’s 100 seats.

In his address to the Saeima, Zatlers said the new government faces hard work, including determining the 2011 budget and guaranteeing development of the country’s economy. Latvia has among the hardest hit economies in Europe and will have to plan for yet more budgetary cuts to keep its finances in line with demands by international creditors.

During the new Saeima’s first meeting on Nov. 2, lawmakers elected Vienotība member Solvita Āboltiņa as the parliament’s new speaker.