Parliamentary elections in Latvia: victory of the United List but coalition necessary

In the country, citizens were called to vote, from 7am to 7pm in Italy, to renew the 100 seats of the unicameral parliament: there were 1,428 candidates from fourteen lists running. As predicted by the polls, according to the exit polls the Joint List of Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs would have achieved victory with 35.6% of the votes: the prime minister, however, would need to build a coalition with other parties to remain in power. Populist acronyms are growing

In Latvia today we voted in the parliamentary elections: the polls opened at 8am local time, 7am in Italy, and closed at 8pm (our 7pm). Citizens were called to the polls to renew the 100 seats of the unicameral Parliament: there were 1,428 candidates from fourteen lists in the running. According to the exit polls, the vote would have marked a clear confirmation of the pro-Western orientation of the Baltic country: the winner, as also predicted by the polls, would be the Joint List of Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs. According to exit polls, however, the prime minister should build a coalition with other parties to remain in power.

Parliamentary elections in Latvia

These parliamentary elections were the eleventh held in the country since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. 14 parties were competing for the 100 seats of the Saeima, with a proportional system. The latest polls showed the United List, the party of Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, as the favourite. In second place, again according to the polls, is the populist Sovereign Power movement.

The turnout

Approximately 1.5 million people were entitled to vote. According to data released by the Latvian Central Election Committee, turnout reached 25.5% at 12pm. Furthermore, taking advantage of early voting, 11.2% of voters (over 169 thousand people) had already expressed their preference in recent days.

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Elections in Latvia, political scenario and electoral campaign

Themes of the electoral campaign

The election campaign was marked by the debate on the rising cost of living and by security concerns, given that Latvia borders both Russia and Belarus (UPDATES ON THE WAR IN UKRAINE). Andris Kulbergs, the current Latvian prime minister, has only been in office since May: the previous government fell due to a controversy over Ukrainian drones. His centre-right and conservative alliance, the United List, was also leading in the polls but experts predicted that his coalition would emerge weakened due to the advance of populist parties. A belief strengthened by the fact that discontent is growing in the country: many Latvians complain about high prices and low wages, the economy is stagnant, the healthcare system is under pressure, emigration and the aging population continue to represent important challenges.

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