Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga plans a four-day visit to the United States to meet with business and government officials in Florida, New York and South Carolina, according to the president‘s press office.

Vīke-Freiberga is expected to arrive in South Carolina on March 13, where she will meet with business and community representatives.

The following day she heads to Florida, also to meet with business and community representatives. On March 15, Vīke-Freiberga is scheduled to speak about business opportunities in Latvia to the International Grocers Association Global Summit Plenary.

A visit to the United States Central Command, the Tampa-based headquarters for U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, also is scheduled March 15. Representatives of Latvia’s armed forces also are expected to join the president.

The president will meet with Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on March 16 before traveling to New York, where she is to attend a dinner hosted by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy.

Before returning to Latvia on March 17, Vīķe-Freiberga has meetings planned with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and George Schwab, head of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, the press office announced.

The president is expected to arrive back in Rīga on March 18.

A new government led by Prime Minister Indulis Emsis has been approved by the Saeima, Latvia’s parliament, in a 56-33 vote, according to the parliament’s press office in Rīga.

The new government draws its ministers from three conservative parties, but also includes one member of Jaunais laiks (New Era, or JL), which had pressed parliament to reject the Emsis-led coalition.

Nine votes for the new coalition government came from the leftist Tautas saskaņas partija (People’s Harmony Party), leading some observers to forecast that the left will play an important role in government politics.

Because he has agreed to serve as a minister in the new government, Andrejs Radzēvičs is likely to withdraw from or be kicked out of Jaunais laiks, according to media reports. Jaunais laiks, led by previous Prime Minister Einars Repše, had over the weekend pushed for a government that would be led by party member Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš.

Repše and his government resigned Feb. 5 after a falling out with coalition partner Latvijas Pirmā partija (First Party of Latvia, or LPP).

Emsis, a member of the Zaļo un zemnieku savienība (Union of Greens and Farmers, or ZZS), also will serve as minister of health. Foreign news reports have noted that he is the first Green prime minister in Eastern Europe.

Others in the new government include Ainārs Šlesers, (LPP), who will be minister of communications and deputy prime minister; Atis Slakteris, a member of Tautas partija (People’s Party, or TP), who will be defense minister; Rihards Pīks (TP), foreign minister; Juris Lujāns (LPP), economics minister; Oskars Spurdziņš (TP), finance minister; Ēriks Jēkabsons (LPP), interior minister; Juris Radzēvičs (LPP), education and science minister; Mārtiņš Roze (ZZS), agriculture minister; Dagnija Staķe (ZZS), welfare minister; Vineta Muižniece (TP), justice minister; Raimonds Vējonis (ZZS), environment minister; Helēna Demakova (TP), culture minister; Andrejs Radzēvičs (JL), regional development and local government affairs minister; Ainars Baštiks (LPP), special minister for children and family affairs, and Nils Muižnieks (LPP), special minister for social integration.

The Emsis government is considered a minority government, because the three parties in the coalition control only 46 seats in parliament. That means that to earn a majority in the 100-seat Saeima the coalition government may have to reach across the aisle to gain support for its policies from opposition deputies.

(Corrected 09 MAR 2004)

Latvia’s next prime minister might be an American-born politician, rather than the first Green leader in Eastern Europe.

The conservative political party Jaunais laiks (New Era), which controls 26 of the 100 seats in parliament, now says it wants to offer Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš as the next prime ministerial candidate, according to media reports. Kariņš was born in 1964 in Delaware.

Jaunais laiks apparently is trying to position itself to form the nation’s new government in case the parliament fails to approve a government led by Indulis Emsis, a member of the Zaļo un zemnieku savienība (Union of Greens and Farmers).

If approved by parliament, Emsis would be the first Green prime minister in Eastern Europe, a fact that’s been noted by a number of foreign media. But the chances of Emsis having the support of at least 51 deputies seem slim.

President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga invited Emsis to form the new government after the government of current Prime Minister Einars Repše, who also is leader of Jaunais laiks, resigned Feb. 5.

Emsis is expected to take his proposed government to parliament next week.

Jaunais laiks and another conservative party, Tēvzemei un Brīvibai/LNNK, both have said they won’t support an Emsis-led coalition government. Jaunais laiks, in particular, had insisted that the new government should be formed by Repše, but Vīķe-Freiberga said that he already had had 15 months in which to lead the country. The president continues to back Emsis.

Meanwhile, in an effort to resolve what some observers are calling a government crisis, the conservative Tautas partija (People’s Party) has invited Jaunais laiks to heart-to-heart discussions March 8.

One result could be an agreement between the two parties, which together control 46 seats in parliament, to support Kariņš. However, the Tautas partija has said it would support an Emsis-led government.

Kariņš holds a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, but in Latvia became known for starting the company Lāču ledus, an ice company. He also served from 1999-2000 as president of limited liability company Formula. A member of parliament, Kariņš heads the Jaunais laiks caucus and is a member of the party’s board of directors.