Riga, June 8 (LETA) - The Latvian electorate parties have not yet started negotiations on forming a coalition in Riga, LETA learned.

Riga Vice Mayor Edvards Ratnieks (National Alliance) told LETA that the talks have not started yet, but assessing the information available so far, he estimates that the coalition could be formed by the Progressives, the National Alliance, the New Unity and the Unired List.

Ratnieks stressed that the initiative in forming a coalition should be in the hands of the party that wins the largest number of votes among these parties. The Central Election Commission's data so far shows that it will be the Progressives party with its mayoral candidate Viesturs Kleinbergs.

Riga Mayor Vilnis Kirsis (New Unity) also said in an interview with Latvian Television (LTV) today that the Progressives will have to start coalition-building talks next week.

Ainārs Slesers, leader of Latvia First, told LTV that he had won the elections and any attempt to leave him in the opposition would be a "death sentence for any coalition". "We will be a very serious opposition", Slesers said, calling on the elected lawmakers not to form a weak, fragmented and ideologically contradictory coalition.

As reported, after counting votes in most of the polling stations in Riga, the party Latvia First currently has the highest voter support, according to data from the Central Election Commission.

A total of seven lists have made it to the City Council and the distribution of votes is expected to be fragmented, so at least three different lists will have to agree to form a majority coalition.

According to the data from 152 out of a total of 164 polling stations, Latvia First currently has 18.16 percent of the votes, which would currently give the list 13 out of 60 seats in the City Council.

According to the current results, 16.6 percent of voters have voted for the Progressives, 14.16 percent for the National Alliance and 12.93 percent for the New Unity of the current Mayor of Riga, Vilnis Kirsis. These parties would win 11, 10 and 9 seats respectively, according to the current results.

The joint list of Sovereign Power and the Union of New Latvians has so far won 12.17 percent of the votes and could win eight seats respectively. Two other political forces might have won seats - the Stability party, which currently shows 6.94 percent support, and the United List - 6.29 percent, which would lead to five and four seats respectively.

The other parties, including For Latvia's Development, Harmony, Honor to Serve Riga and the Union of Greens and Farmers, have not entered the Riga City Council.

In total, 60 deputies are to be elected to the Riga City Council.

The turnout in the elections in Riga reached 48.1 percent.