Foreign news wrong about Latvian elections

Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis' alliance emerged victorious from the parliamentary elections in Latvia. But the explanations for this success put forward by foreign media are for the most part incorrect, writes the daily Latvijas Avīze: "Most media stress Dombrovskis' successes and go on to say that the voters had come to appreciate him as an honest crisis manager. Then most of the time the reports are summed up by saying that with their votes the people had consented to the difficult reform course. ... But these conclusions drawn by the foreign media are wrong. The people didn't vote in favour of draconian austerity measures, and these elections had an entirely different message: they were a protest vote against arrogance and personal gain in politics, and sent out a signal of hope that the attitudes of those in power toward the people would change. And of course the election was greatly influenced by the fear that the Harmony Centre party could come to power - which unfortunately still can't be ruled out."

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