According to preliminary results, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins’ liberal-conservative governing party Jauna Vienotiba won the most votes in the parliamentary elections in Latvia. She secured 26 of a total of 100 seats in the parliament of the Baltic EU and NATO country, as announced by the election commission in Riga in the evening after the counting of votes in all polling stations had been completed. Like the German Christian Democrats, Jauna Vienotiba belongs to the EPP group in the European Parliament. The election was overshadowed by Russia’s war against Ukraine and concerns about rising energy costs.
The second strongest force will be the opposition Alliance of Farmers and Greens (16 seats), just ahead of the new electoral alliance United List (15 seats). Of Karin’s three coalition partners, only one made it into parliament with the national-conservative National Alliance (13 seats). While the conservatives clearly failed at the five percent hurdle, the liberal party slipped For Development – For! under the freeze clause at the last minute.
Opposition party Harmonie crashes
The opposition party Harmonie had to cope with a deep fall. The hitherto strongest political force in Latvia failed to enter parliament. The party, whose core voters come primarily from the strong minority of Russian origin, is thus the big loser in the vote in the Baltic Sea state bordering Russia and Belarus. A total of seven parties will be represented in the Saeima parliament. In addition to the United List, there are three other new groups: The pro-Russian Force For Stability! (11 seats), the left-leaning Progressives (10 seats) and the populist party Latvia First (9 seats). Voter turnout was 59 percent.