## The Prime Minister Slowed Down the Minister However, Kulbergs "forgot" that if it weren't for the election period, he wouldn't be the Prime Minister! If there had been a year or more before the elections, the Silinie government would likely not have collapsed — the partners would have continued to work together, gritting their teeth. In any case, Kulbergs had a great opportunity to "steer" the government and boost his own popularity as well as that of the United List. As evidenced by the ratings of the last two months, he did just that. However, other ruling parties are also desperately seeking their place in the sun, especially since there is now less than a month until the elections. It is clear that the ruling politicians must take action. Here is the Minister of the Interior Janis Dombrava (National Alliance), who has clearly overshadowed the nominal leader of his party — the candidate for Prime Minister Ilze Indriksona — who came up with a plan to combat immigration. At the same time, the minister expected that the plan he presented would be quickly considered at the Cabinet meeting. But the other partners decided not to rush. Firstly, because they do not want to help their competitors gain additional political points, and secondly, some points of the plan indeed raise questions. This includes employers who still want to have the ability to attract migrant workers. And this is not about some "love" for residents of India, Uzbekistan, or other countries — the reality in the labor market is that there is a catastrophic shortage of local workers. ## Coercion to Apologize The coalition council decided not to include Dombrava's plan on the agenda of the government meeting for now. This provoked a sharp reaction from the Minister of the Interior, who accused his partners of unwillingness to genuinely limit immigration. At this point, the Prime Minister either lost his nerves, or as many observers believe, felt like a political star. He accused Dombrava of being unprepared to work in the ministerial position and even stated that he was behaving like a "capricious child in kindergarten." After this, prominent figures from the National Alliance condemned Kulbergs in social media and demanded official explanations from him. It should be noted that Dombrava's plan, in particular, includes the introduction of quotas for the admission of citizens from third countries, a sharp restriction on the opportunities for foreign students to study in Latvia, limitations on the employment of foreigners and courier services, stricter control over asylum seekers, and regular raids. Kulbergs' advisors reacted swiftly, realizing that the Prime Minister, by "insulting" and "snapping back," was actually helping the National Alliance more than himself and his party. As a result, the Prime Minister publicly apologized to Dombrava, and today, as you read this issue of the newspaper, a meeting regarding the Minister of the Interior's plan to combat migration will take place in the government. We dare to assume that the plan will be given the green light, but with the condition of its correction — so that it complies with European law and the real needs of the Latvian economy. By approving the plan, the Prime Minister loses nothing: there will be no time for any changes to the regulations before the elections anyway. ## For Now, They Remain Meanwhile, yesterday Dombrava found himself in the spotlight again — at the first plenary session of the autumn session after the summer break, the opposition's demand for a vote of no confidence in the Minister of the Interior was considered. The main reason was the minister's attempt to close the only border crossing on the Latvian-Belarusian border, "Paternieki." Although the voting result was predictable — the minister remained in office, nevertheless, the opposition, as well as Dombrava himself, got their five minutes of fame. Also yesterday, the opposition attempted, but also without success, to remove the Minister of Communications Rihards Kozlovskis (New Unity) from his post — in particular, due to the leak of a colossal volume of information from the CSDD database.
