Latvia’s coalition government has been thrown into a crisis after six ministers, all members of the conservative Jaunais laiks (New Era) political party, quit April 7.

Einars Repše, leader of Jaunais laiks, announced April 6 that the party was leaving the government in protest over what it sees as the illegal and undemocratic practices of coalition partner Latvijas Pirmā partija (First Party of Latvia, or LPP) and especially of one of its leaders, Ainārs Šlesers.

Jaunais laiks has accused Šlesers of corruption for trying to influence the election of the head of the city council in the resort city of Jūrmala, a charge that LPP denies. Jaunais laiks also accused Šlesers, formerly the minister of communications, of illegal activities in disbursing money from Latvia’s road fund.

The rift in the government came even as President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga issued a statement April 6 calling for a reasoned approach to resolving differences among the four partners in the coalition. She said that recent accusations of corruption, incompetence and unprofessionalism could be dealt with on an individual basis and through existing state institutions, rather than leading to destabilizing the government itself.

The ministers who resigned are Solvita Āboltiņa, minister of justice; Ina Druviete, minister of education and science; Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš, minister of economics; Ainars Latkovskis, special assignments minister for society integration affairs; Linda Mūrniece, minister of defense, and Jānis Reirs, special assignments minister for electronic government affairs. Their duties temporarily will be handled by other ministers.

The coalition government has been in power since December 2004. Led by Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis, it also includes ministers from two other conservative parties, Tautas partija (People’s Party) and Zaļo un zemnieku savienība (Union of Greens and Farmers, or ZZS).

With the departure of Jaunais laiks from the coalition, Kalvītis is now in charge of a minority government. Political observers in Latvia are questioning whether the government will be able to last until the next parliamentary election, which is scheduled Oct. 7.

In its first foray into Eastern Europe, a Turkish hotel chain has announced plans to develop a 500-room hotel and convention center in the Latvian seaside resort of Jūrmala.

The Istanbul-based Dedeman Hotels & Resorts International expects to open the Resort Dedeman Jurmala in 2007, the company announced in a press release. The hotel is to include a casino, night club, spa, ice skating, tennis courts, two restaurants and a café.

The hotel also is to have a 1,000-person ballroom and a 100-person concert hall, which the company said will help position the property for convention tourism.

Dedeman began in Ankara, Turkey, in 1966. The company owns 16 hotels, three of them outside Turkey. The Jūrmala property is one of four new properties Dedeman is developing.

Jūrmala, a historical resort area on the Gulf of Rīga, is home to a number of hotels already, including properties such as the 165-room Baltic Beach Hotel, the 120-room Daina, the 40-room Eiropa Hotel, the 38-room Pegasa Pils, and the 16-room Villa Joma.

The popular group Labvēlīgais Tips, known for its comic and often satirical songs about life in Latvia, has released its eighth studio album and is heading to Ireland for a concert, the Rīga-based recording company MICREC said in a press release.

The album, Naukšēnu disko, includes 14 tracks, including two recent radio hits, “Pīrādziņ’ nāc ārā!” and “Laptops.” The compact disc is the group’s 10th overall when counting Šveika jaunās dēkas, a 1999 album of songs from the musical of the same name, and last year’s re-release of Alumīnija cūka, the band’s first record.

A CD release party is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. April 1 in the Temple Bar Music Centre in Dublin, Ireland. More than 20,000 Latvians now live in Ireland, the vast majority of them recent immigrants in search of work.

Songs on the album include:

1. Aizlidot līdz
2. Pīrādziņ’ nāc ārā!
3. Piektdiena, 13
4. Mazās Kalnu ielas samurajs
5. Saulgozis un privilēģija
6. Skopuļa serenāde
7. Tīram tīri
8. Mūsu limuzīns
9. Pavāru kuplejas
10. Trio no operas “Cosi Vandas Tante”
11. Laptops
12. Vecais gailis
13. Veikals “Jahtu aprīkojums”
14. Naukšēnu disko

The band, led by Andris Freidenfelds, plans a tour of Latvia after its return from Ireland.