Latvian Way
Latvian Way was founded on 25 September 1993, by a group of former activists of Popular Front of Latvia and Latvian exiles who had returned to Latvia after it regained independence. In its first election in 1993, Latvian Way won 32.4% of popular vote and became the leading party in a coalition government. Later, its popularity declined, with 14.6% of votes in 1995 election and 18.0% in 1998. Despite that, Latvian Way remained a powerful force in Latvian politics and was part of every coalition government in Latvia from July 1993 to November 2002. Four Latvian Way members were Prime Ministers: Valdis Birkavs (from 1993 to 1994), Māris Gailis (from 1994 to 1995), Vilis Krištopans (from 1998 to 1999) and Andris Bērziņš (from 2000 to 2002). A fifth former Prime Minister, Ivars Godmanis, joined the Latvian Way party after his term as Prime Minister ended.