RIGA, June 1 (LETA) - A false dilemma is being cultivated in Riga ahead of the municipal elections - a choice between the current mayor of Riga, Vilnis Kirsis (New Unity), and Ainars Slesers (Latvia First), said Viesturs Kleinbergs, leader of the Progressives' list in Riga, in an interview with LETA.

He said that only two options are possible for change in the capital.

One option is if Progressives run Riga and the changes are aimed at people wanting to live there, for people wanting things to be better, more comfortable, greener and families to feel supported. The other option is Slesers and his business interests, i.e. all the funds would be directed solely towards access to one neighborhood on a peninsula.

Kleinbergs stressed in the interview that the party is going to win the elections. In his view, a victory is if the Progressives obtain the most votes. Or if Slesers wins first place, but the Progressives are the second largest political party and can form a new coalition.

"We are ready to take the lead, ready to take responsibility for traffic and the outdoor environment, because we see that this is where the breakthrough and targeted action is most needed," Kleinbergs said.

In his view, only two development scenarios are possible - either Riga becomes progressive and European, a place where people want to live. Or there is a city led by Slesers, where eastern values prevail and his business interests are pursued at the expense of the people of Riga.

If the Progressives get the most votes and take on the coalition, Kleinbergs said, New Unity and the National Alliance will be invited to join the coalition. However, Kleinbergs does not rule out the inclusion of other parties in the coalition, for example, if the 5 percent barrier is overcome by For Latvia's Development, then disagreements between the parties will have to be overcome.

"If it can ensure that Ainars Slesers does not come to power, then it will have to be so," Kleinbergs said.

He also points out that the Progressives will not cooperate with Stability or Sovereign Power.

He was a bit more lenient towards Harmony, which unlike many others immediately re-positioned itself after the invasion of Ukraine, but Kleinbergs does not see them as potential cooperation partners either.

He is confident that a coalition can be formed from the partners that were in the previous coalition, which included the Progressives.