Parliamentary election in Latvia: Andris Kulbergs' ruling party clearly ahead

dpa | In the parliamentary elections in the EU and NATO country Latvia, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs' United List electoral alliance surprisingly prevailed. With 35.4 percent of the vote, the center-right group emerged as the clear winner of the vote, as data from the electoral commission in Riga showed after counting information from 94 percent of all polling stations. This meant the party was able to more than triple its result compared to the previous election.

Populist forces also made strong gains in the election, which was dominated by concerns about national security and socio-political problems. The second strongest force is the Latvia party in first place (13.2 percent) ahead of Sovereign Power (11.8 percent). Both are likely to have scored particularly well with voters from the Russian minority. Behind them are the left-wing progressives (7.4 percent).

Of Kulbergs' previous three coalition partners, only two made it into parliament: the national-conservative National Alliance (9.1 percent) and the liberal-conservative Jauna Vienotiba (6.2 percent). In total, 6 of the 14 parties and electoral alliances will be represented in the Saeima parliament. According to previous information, voter turnout was 51.8 percent.

The central issues in the election campaign for the Baltic state, which borders Russia and its ally Belarus, were security and defense. In addition, socio-political and economic issues also played a major role in the election campaign. Since Latvia is investing heavily in its security, 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.