It's unclear if Deputy Mayor of Riga Ainārs Šlesers can muster enough support in the Saeima to form a new government or not.

RIGA — Deputy Mayor of Riga Ainārs Šlesers signaled his intent on Tuesday to take control of the country within 10 weeks by forming a new government as he calls for the current Cabinet to resign next month.

Should the move go forward, Šlesers’ party, Latvia’s First Party/Latvia’s Way would join fellow opposition party Harmony Center to form a new government in February next year. The Harmony Center Party is led by Riga’s mayor Nil Ushakov. Šlesers explained on the Latvian television show “900 Seconds” that his government would be ready to take full control by March, should the president nominate him as a candidate for prime minister.

The Norwegian-educated Šlesers, also a businessman, is a political mainstay in Latvia, having served in in several to government posts. He is also the chairman of the board of the country’s main port, Riga.

“Personally for me and [Harmony Center member Janis] Urbanovics it would be more advantageous to continue work at the Riga City Council until fall,” Šlesers said on-air. “However, I am ready to take on forming a new government.”

If his proposed government came to power, they would likely hold on to power beyond the next elections, Šlesers said, while ramping up the rhetoric attacking the ruling coalition.

“If a person goes to donate blood, but instead of 200 grams he lowered two liters. The patient may not survive. Then there is the choice, either to change the doctor — the government — or indeed the patient will die,” Šlesers said in recent press release on the LPP/LC website.

Šlesers said the current government should resign because of what he sees as unforgivable mistakes dealing with the International Monetary Fund when finalizing the recently-passed budget. He said the government had promised things they couldn’t deliver, which would in turn lead the country deeper into the mire caused by the economic crisis.

His ideas for government include a smaller ring of decision makers, led by him.

“The prime minister has to set the tone in his work, but nothing is going on at the moment — the ministers are not working,” he said about his plans for his proposed seven-ministry Cabinet.

Only one ally

LPP/LC has not found another ally outside of Harmony Center to form a new government, though. The Union of Greens and Farmers Party declared Tuesday that they would not enter into talks with Šlesers.

“Politicians have to talk. We can talk of cooperation between coalition and opposition, but not of forming a new government,” Augusts Brigmanis, Union of Greens and Farmers chairman told LETA.

Meanwhile the Saeima’s largest party and frequent critic of the current government’s actions, the People’s Party, also rebuffed Šlesers calls to form a new government.

Romans Melniks, press secretary for the People’s Party told LETA that the People’s Party does not plan to join talks on forming a new government, and holds the view that the current coalition has not exhausted its capacity. Melniks said any budget concerns should be dealt with through discussion, not a new government.