Latvia votes with a tough coalition ahead and war looming
Latvians choose the 100 members of the Saeima on Saturday. No party is close to a majority, and the prime minister would need partners to keep governing.
This Saturday, October 3, Latvians renew the 100 seats of the Saeima, their parliament, for four years. Voting runs from 8:00 to 20:00 local time at 933 polling stations, according to BNN. There are 1 428 candidates on 14 lists.
Andris Kulbergs, the prime minister, leads the polls with the United List, a centrist, pro-Ukraine party. Its support stands at about 14% of the vote, according to Reuters. Close behind is Sovereign Power, which the agency describes as openly pro-Russian. A party needs 5% of the vote to enter parliament, and the populist Latvia First and the left-wing Progressives are expected to clear that bar.
With that split, Kulbergs would have to negotiate with other forces. One of them is Latvia First, the party of Ainārs Šlesers, which has recently grown more critical of aid to Ukraine. Kulbergs said: "We have to give Ukraine everything necessary right now." According to Reuters, he also supports raising defense spending to 5% of GDP.
Julia Stepanenko, leader of Sovereign Power, argues instead that the war "must not be encouraged" and that Ukraine should win through peace negotiations.
A May government and an electorate without a party
Kulbergs has governed since late May. His predecessor, Evika Siliņa, left office after firing her defense minister, Andris Sprūds. She accused him of being slow to set up anti-drone defenses when drones fell in the east of the country. Parliament confirmed the new four-party cabinet with 66 of 100 votes, according to Al Jazeera.
Another front is the Russian-speaking minority. About 35% of Latvian citizens speak Russian at home, according to Meduza. Harmony, the party that represented them for years, fell below the threshold in 2022 and polls now put it at 3.1%. The outlet describes an electorate that backs Ukraine and defends its language but finds no list that speaks for it.
Latvia belongs to NATO and the European Union and borders Russia and Belarus. A fragmented parliament, with possible partners calling for less aid to Kyiv, could shift its defense policy.
Preliminary results are expected in the coming hours, and the full picture after midnight local time. As of this writing there are no figures from the vote.
