Parliamentary election in Latvia: fighter jets protected election campaign

dpa | Latvia is electing a new parliament today, voting began this morning. It is overshadowed by security concerns and socio-political problems. Around 1.5 million eligible voters can decide on the distribution of the 100 seats in the Saeima parliament in Riga. Despite expected gains for populist parties, Prime Minister Andris Kulberg's United List electoral alliance, which is leading in the polls, is likely to win the election.

The Baltic Sea country is an EU and NATO member and borders Russia and its ally Belarus. It has a strong minority of Russian origin.

Kulbergs took over government responsibility in May after the previous government collapsed in a dispute over drone incidents. The 47-year-old currently leads a four-party coalition of conservative parties and forces from the political center, which is united by a clear commitment to the EU and NATO as well as to support Ukraine. But it is questionable whether the alliance can continue to exist in its current form after the election: according to opinion pollsters and experts, there are signs of a fragmented parliament and a complicated government formation process.

Overall, around half of the 14 political forces are likely to succeed in entering parliament; a sole majority does not seem realistic for any party. Polling stations close at 8:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. CEST). Meaningful results are expected on Sunday night.

The focus of the election campaign was Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and its impact on national security as well as socio-political challenges. In Latvia, incidents involving drones that invaded Latvian airspace and crashed during the Ukraine war have repeatedly caused unrest since the spring. In two cases, drones were shot down by NATO fighter jets over Latvia.

Concerned about dangers from the air, Latvia asked its NATO allies for support to ensure the vote was held safely. Shortly before the election date, the Bundeswehr relocated four Eurofighters to the Baltic state to protect the airspace. The country is investing massively in its security and defense, but there is a lack of money elsewhere. The health system is suffering, emigration and aging are a problem, many people complain about high prices and low salaries, and the economy is stalling.