Latvia – United List leads the elections with a record result

RIGA, 5 October /ATSH-DPA/ – The United List alliance, led by Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, has won the parliamentary elections in Latvia, marking the best result ever achieved by a political force in the country since the restoration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

After the vote count was completed in all polling stations, the Electoral Commission in Riga announced that “United List” has secured 41 of the 100 seats in parliament. According to official data, this is the best electoral result recorded by a party in Latvia since 1991.

Kulbergs thanked voters for their trust and support. In a video message published on the X platform, he said he would fulfil the responsibility entrusted to him with the utmost seriousness and commitment.

However, turnout in Saturday’s elections was only 51.8%, according to initial data, marking the lowest level of participation in a parliamentary election in Latvia’s history.

Sociologists link this partly to a lack of trust in political parties. Some voters may also have held the belief that they had no real influence over political decision-making.

Two populist forces ranked second and third, a considerable distance behind “United List”.

The elections took place in a climate where national security issues and social policies were among voters’ main concerns.

The “Latvia First” party secured 17 seats, becoming the second-largest force in parliament, while “Sovereign Power” took 15 seats. Both parties performed particularly well among voters of the Russian-speaking minority and recorded marked growth compared to the previous elections.

Of Kulbergs’s three previous coalition partners, only two managed to secure seats in parliament: the National Alliance, with 10 seats, and “New Unity”, a liberal-conservative force, with 7 seats.

The Union of Greens and Farmers failed to cross the 5% electoral threshold, while the Progressives, a left-oriented force, took 10 seats. In total, six political forces will be represented in parliament.

“United List” said it will first try to hold negotiations on forming a government with its previous coalition partners.

All three forces have a clear pro-European Union and pro-NATO stance, and support Ukraine. If they join together, they would control 58 of the 100 seats in parliament.

Kulbergs ruled out the possibility of cooperation with the two populist parties.

The President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics, who must give the mandate to form the new government, has planned to meet today with representatives of the parties that have won seats in parliament.

In the elections in this Baltic country, which borders Russia and Belarus and has about 1.9 million inhabitants, a total of 14 parties and electoral alliances competed. /