Zeltīts: New Party Criticises Debate Selection and Government Record on Election Night
Raivis Zeltīts of Rising Sun for Latvia thanked voters on TV24's election-night special, criticised rating-based debate invitations and expressed scepticism about the Kulbergs government's performance.
Raivis Zeltīts, a representative of the political party Rising Sun for Latvia (Austošā Saule Latvijai), appeared on TV24's election-night special on the evening of the Saeima elections. He discussed the party's prospects, the pre-election debates and the government's work so far.
Zeltīts stressed that his party is the newest one and the only new party since the previous Saeima elections. In his words, a vote for it is a vote for the future and for values, and a vote against sceptics who argued that people should not back new parties. He thanked those sceptics too, saying they had also made a brave choice.
Debates and ratings
Zeltīts spoke positively of the debates the party was invited to, singling out TV24, which in his view conscientiously gave all parties a chance to take part. At the same time, he criticised the fact that the party was left out of most public media debates because invitations were based on ratings. This, he said, creates a vicious circle: the party is not seen, so it does not show up in ratings, and so it is not invited. He believes this must not be repeated in future elections and that the issue should be addressed after the vote.
During the campaign, the party felt closest to the new political project led by Alvis Harmanis; both groups treated opposition to immigration as an important issue.
Election night and the government
Zeltīts described the mood as calm: party members gathered for a potluck evening, drinking juices and kvass, and nobody would drive home intoxicated.
He assessed the Kulbergs government's work as promising at first, thanks to an open and energetic communication style. Later, after looking more closely at laws and decisions, scepticism set in: in his view, bureaucracy is not really being reduced, while the Immigration Law and related plans are too weak. Zeltīts said much could have been done before the elections, but the government has been given a large mandate of trust, and what follows will become clear after the vote.
