Latvia elects a new president

The Latvian parliament has elected Valdis Zatlers as the country's new president today. Before the decision was announced, Romans Melniks vented his frustration about the procedure for selecting the presidential candidates. "The battle to become a candidate is a farce - the key political decisions are made within a small circle rather than by the people. As a result, the presidential office is more a party institution than a state institution, because it's the governing parties who decide on a candidate in advance and they tend to look for someone who will represent their own interests... The nation wants to see a moral leader in this office - in particular after the current president [Vaira vike-Freiberga] - while the parties are more interested in stabilising their power."

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