LATVIA is used to having a woman in the top job. Vaira Vike-Freiberga served two terms as president in 1999-2007 and is widely seen as the best head of state since Latvia regained independence 23 years ago. Now it is set to get another female leader, this time as head of government. On January 6th Andris Berzins, the president, nominated Laimdota Straujuma as the next prime minister.

Ms Straujuma, a mathematician and former agriculture minister, has impressed those who negotiated with her in European Union meetings by her persistent efforts to get a good deal for Latvia’s farmers. Although not a member of any party (she joined the conservative Unity Party, presumably as a polite gesture, only on January 5th), she has been in the running ever since discussions over a new prime minister began after the sudden resignation of Valdis Dombrovskis following a supermarket collapse in November. After Mr Berzins rejected other candidates it was the turn of Ms Straujuma, who is often compared to Germany’s Angela Merkel.

“The government should continue the same macroeconomic policy which has been implemented so far,” said Ms Straujuma after her nomination. However painful, Mr Dombrovskis’s austerity policies in the wake of the financial crisis in 2008-09 have led to a strong recovery. Latvia’s economy has steadily improved over the past two years and is now growing at 4%, faster than any other EU country. Average wages have regained their level before the crisis. Inflation is near-zero. For the first time since 2006, households’ assets exceed their liabilities.

Ms Straujuma is backed by a four-party coalition consisting of the Unity Party, the right-wing National Alliance, the centre-right Reform Party and the centrist Union of Greens and Farmers, currently an opposition party, as well as a few independent MPs. She is unlikely to use her majority to rock a boat that is sailing so smoothly. Even the controversial introduction of the euro on January 1st has gone well. According to the latest Eurobarometer survey, Latvians’ support for the euro has risen to 53%, close to the average in the EU.