Latvia lawmakers fail to elect president in 4 rounds of voting
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Latvian lawmakers have failed to elect a new president in four rounds of voting, with front-runner Raimonds Vejonis five votes short of the majority needed to win.
A fifth round will be held later Wednesday.
Vejonis got 46 votes in a runoff against Egils Levits, a judge of the European Court of Justice, who had 26.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fifty-one votes are needed for a majority in the 100-seat Parliament.
Two other candidates were eliminated in earlier rounds of voting.
The winner will replace incumbent Andris Berzins, who didn't seek another four-year term, citing family reasons.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}If neither candidate wins at least 51 votes on Wednesday, a new vote will be held in 10 days.
The ballots are secret and lawmakers don't necessarily follow party lines, making it difficult to predict the outcome.