Riga - The field of candidates vying to be the next prime minister of Latvia narrowed to two on Wednesday, with President Valdis Zatlers hosting talks with front-runners Edgars Zalans of the ruling People's Party (TP) and Valdis Dombrovskis of the opposition New Era party (JL).

The search for a premier has included nearly every high-profile Latvian political figure, including EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, who confirmed in an interview with the Dienas Bizness newspaper on Wednesday that he had been approached as a potential candidate.

Riga - Former government coalition partners and opposition parties were jockeying for position in Latvia Monday following the resignation of incumbent prime minister Ivars Godmanis on February 20.

While Godmanis continued in a caretaker capacity, President Valdis Zatlers mulled the possible replacements nominated by each political party represented in Latvia's
100-seat parliament, the Saeima.

According to the Latvian constitution, which Zatlers himself has said requires overhauling to make it easier for the electorate to dissolve parliament, the collapse of one government does not lead to fresh elections.

Riga - The Latvian government headed by Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis was wobbling Friday after the two largest parties within the ruling four-party coalition signalled they would call on the premier to resign.

Following a meeting designed to thrash out internal squabbles over government reorganisation plans, leaders of the People's Party
(TP) and the Greens and Farmers' Union (ZZS) said they had lost faith in the embattled prime minister just two weeks after they had backed him in a parliamentary no confidence vote.

Riga  - Latvia's government was not short of advice on Wednesday, with criticism coming from such heavyweight institutions as the IMF and EU - but also from the country's own kids.

One hundred schoolchildren were asked their political opinions by the Fazer bakery company, and the results were not flattering for those in power.

Asked what Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis did, 7-year-old Karlis said he "Makes a crisis in the country," while the more mature Viljams, 9, described Godmanis' responsibilities as "sometimes explaining something, yelling, and helping (President) Zatlers."

Riga - Latvian Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis was due for a make-or-break meeting with President Valdis Zatlers on Monday after the president said he had lost confidence in his prime minister.

The two leaders were due to meet at 4 pm (1400 GMT) following a weekend in which local media speculated that Godmanis could be about to resign.

Riga  - A cable linking the energy grids of the Baltic states with Sweden could be a reality within ten years, said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt in Riga on Friday.

Bildt, speaking after a meeting with his Latvian counterpart Maris Riekstins, said the Swedish presidency of the EU in the second half of 2009 would be characterised by ambitious plans for political and economic cooperation within the Baltic Sea area.

Currently both Lithuania and Latvia have competing claims for an underwater cable across the Baltic Sea to Sweden.