Latvia
Parliamentary Elections
Electoral system
- Unicameral parliament
- Name: Parliament (Saeima)
- Members: 100
- Term: 5 years
- Constituencies: 5 multi-member constituencies (from 14 to 29 seats each).
- Voting system: Majority: Direct, simple majority and preferential vote. Electors vote for lists of candidates but can also indicate specific support or rejection. Only those parties obtaining at least 5% of the national vote gain representation in the Saeima. Distribution of seats among them is based on the Saint-Lagüe method. Within each list, the order of candidates is re-arranged to reflect the preferences expressed by the voters. The vote for each candidate is equal to the number of votes cast for the list, plus or minus specific votes. Those candidates with the highest totals are declared elected, up to the number of seats allotted to each list. If any candidate has been elected in this manner in more than one electoral region, he/she is considered elected in the region where most votes were obtained and the seat goes to the next highest candidate of the same list in the other region(s).
- Voter requirements: 18 years of age; Latvian citizens (including naturalized citizens); citizens overseas can vote without restriction.
- Voting is not compulsory.
Latest elections
Election results 2010, main parties.
Date of election: 2 October 2010
Main issues: The governing centre-right coalition, led by Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, had in the prior period pushed through some of the toughest austerity measures in Europe, backed by the IMF and EU and aimed at preparing the country to join the euro in 2014. They included wage cuts averaging 30% at a time when unemployment stood at 20%.
The main challenge to Dombrovskis had come from a party with strong support among the large Russian minority, Harmony Centre. Presenting itself as a social-democratic alternative, they campaigned against the austerity measures. They had hoped that anger over the crisis would win them the largest share of the vote, including votes from disillusioned ethnic Latvians and possibly give it a place in government for the first time since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.
Outcome: With all votes counted in Latvia, Mr Dombrovskis's coalition secured 63 seats in parliament. The coalition is expected to consist of the Prime Minister's own party, Vienotiba (33 seats), in addition to the Union of Greens and Farmers (22) and the National Alliance (8).
Sources
Inter-Parliamentary Union, PARLINE database on national parliaments
Reuters: Latvia PM set to win election after crisis
BBC News: Latvia's ruling centre-right coalition wins election
Election results: The Central Election Commission of Latvia
