Auto lobbyist Andris Kulbergs is pushing for power in Latvia, assembling a “super coalition” around the interests of the auto business and hidden sponsors

On Saturday, May 16, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs formally tasked Andris Kulbergs, a parliament member representing the United List (Apvienotais saraksts), with forming a new government.

A politician from the auto industry has set his sights on creating an unprecedented "super coalition" of five parties (Apvienotais saraksts, Nacionālā apvienība, Zaļo un Zemnieku savienība, Progresīvie, and Jaunā Vienotība), promising to put emotions aside and form a "government of action." Attempts to seat nationalists and left-wing liberals at the same table have previously led to protracted crises in the 14th Saeima.

New Unity, the long-standing hegemon of Latvia’s political scene, has already given preliminary consent to join a coalition led by the former opposition leader.

When asked about the possible participation of Ainars Šlesers’s party, Latvija pirmajā vietā (LPV), Kulbergs didn’t directly say "no." His formulation, "the broadest possible coalition must be formed... but I indicated five parties," leaves the door slightly open for Šlesers.

Kulbergs’s emphasis that "the president didn’t specify any red lines" is a crucial detail. Rinkēvičs has effectively lifted the traditional taboo on negotiations with forces previously considered "untouchable" in the context of oligarchic influence. For Šlesers, this is a chance, if not to join the Cabinet, then to become a valuable "golden share" in the vote.

Kulbergs’s thesis, "First things first, then areas of responsibility," is a classic approach for a corporate top manager. However, behind the façade of pragmatism lies a complex ecosystem, built over years, of personal business, industry lobbying, and specially created political expert platforms. What do the official declarations and business reports of the soon-to-be head of the Latvian government conceal?

Business lineage: from Italian sports cars to a consulting "wallet"

Andris Kulbergs (46) is the sole owner of the company "VK Development." The abbreviation "VK" stands for the initials of the prime ministerial candidate’s father, Viktors Kulbergs, a legendary Latvian engineer and founder of the Riga Motor Museum, the Antique Automobile Club (AAK), and the company "Auto Rīga."

Founded in 1995, the company has been known as "AUTO BALTIKA", "ItalAuto", and "AUTO FORMULA", managing large import contracts at one time (including the distribution of Alfa Romeo and Fiat).

Following Viktors Kulbergs’ death in 2013, the company underwent a major restructuring. Liquidation proceedings were initiated, then reversed just weeks later, and the authorized capital was drastically reduced to channel accumulated assets to the family. It was after this that control of the company finally passed from his mother, Elena Kulbergs, to Andris. A significant marker of political transition: Kulbergs officially resigned as a member of the board of VK Development on November 10, 2022—exactly nine days after taking office as a member of the Saeima (Parliament), transferring operational management to Andis Veinbergs but remaining the company’s 100% beneficiary.

Today, according to Crediweb.lv , "VK Development" officially employs only one employee, and its core business is limited to niche consulting and auto market research. However, this company serves as Kulbergs’s main source of private income outside of politics.

In the successful 2023, the company earned EUR 68,139 in net profit, allowing Kulbergs to cash out a record EUR 38,000 in dividends. In 2024, the company’s production costs tripled, while profits fell to EUR 24,225, which immediately affected the official’s declaration—his personal savings dropped by a third. In 2025, the business stabilized, generating EUR 10,000 in dividends for the deputy.

It is noteworthy that in 2025, this company’s total tax payments to the state budget suddenly collapsed by more than 2.5 times (to 11,240 EUR compared to 22,990 EUR in 2023) with an unchanged staff of one employee.

For Kulbergs, his own fleet of cars is an extension of his public image. Year after year, his declarations are filled with exclusive vehicles: from a rare 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500SS and a 1973 Dodge Challenger to a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo sports car and a brand-new Ducati Multistrada motorcycle. In 2025, his priorities shifted to boating, with the purchase of a Ryds 500 HT motorboat and a boat trailer declared.

Early in his parliamentary career, Kulbergs owned two rare 1999 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo racing cars. One of them, owned by the company "VK Development," was involved in a serious accident on May 1, 2022, and was turned into scrap metal, requiring lengthy legal proceedings to decommission it.

High-level lobbying

Since May 2020, Andris Kulbergs has served as a board member of the association "AUTO ASOCIĀCIJA." According to the association’s latest financial report for 2025, it is not just a public organization, but a closed, elite club consisting of exactly 22 legal entities (the country’s largest car dealers). The average annual membership fee is approximately 4,800 EUR. This organization exists solely on the funds earmarked for its closed ecosystem and functions as a sophisticated commercial lobbyist.

In 2025, Kulbergs and his colleagues managed to bring the association back from the deep deficit of previous years into the black. The financial report shows that the amount of cash in the association’s bank accounts jumped almost fivefold, to EUR 58,971.

The source of this money is the "Deferred Revenue" item, which includes a large, anonymous advance payment of 48,000 EUR. Someone influential in the auto market generously financed Kulbergs’ lobbying platform with an advance payment for 2026. The official financial statements remain silent on the identity of the person behind this sum.

In the same report, the association openly declares its support for changes to the Natural Resources Tax (Dabas resursu nodoklis), vehicle inspection regulations, rules for "green" public procurement of transport, and vehicle recycling.

"Latvijas Restarts" - a think tank for the government program

Kulbergs’s declaration lists another important position: chairman of the board of the association "Latvijas Restarts." This micro-organization’s 2025 annual report dots all the i’s and crosses all the t’s. In August 2025, a "star-studded team" from the United List party roster joined the board of this organization: Kulbergs himself, Aiva Vīksna, Baiba Veisa, Valters Boļevičs, and Guntars Vītols.

The organization has a small budget (just over 2,000 euros in contributions from 18 individuals) and no employees (Veisa volunteered 60 hours as an accountant). However, the board’s written report clearly and openly states its true purpose: "Cooperation with the Saeima faction APVIENOTAIS SARAKSTS."

The conclusion is clear: "Latvijas Restarts" was originally conceived and serves as a legitimate intellectual platform—a "think tank" outside the walls of the Saeima, where Kulbergs and his team have spent the past year meticulously crafting the party platform, regulatory framework, and economic reforms for today’s premiership.

The official registered address of Kulbergs’s company is Rīga, Ogļu iela 12A. It is home to the ultra-modern and exclusive private complex of the Ola Foundation (an integrated center for education, art, and debate).

This building, which cost more than EUR 4,000,000 according to construction records, was designed by the architectural firm UPB Projekti and belongs to the family of millionaire Uldis Pilēns and his wife Ilze Pilēne.

The chief architect of the United List, Uldis Pilens, used a conceptual metaphor when discussing his brainchild, the Ola Foundation:

"If an egg is broken by external force, it’s the end of life. But if the egg is broken from within, with external help, it’s the beginning of something new. This is what we’re trying to convey through both our outer form and our content."