LATVIA SCHEDULES PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

The Latvian parliament will convene in special session June 18 to elect the country’s president. That decision was reached by the parliamentary Factions’ Council, which set the date in order to allow for more than one round of balloting before President Guntis Ulmanis’ powers expire July 7. Latvia’s president, whose mandate runs for three years under the current constitution, is elected by the parliament, requiring at least 51 votes in the chamber of 100 members. Ulmanis has already announced that he would seek reelection and has the support of 33 deputies thus far. Three other candidates have announced their intention to run for the post. Ulmanis’ strongest challenger is Parliament Chairwoman Ilga Kreituse of the center-left Democratic Owners’ (Samnieks) party, the single largest parliamentary faction. (BNS, Western agencies, May 21 & 22)

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