Election commission strikes two names from Christian Democrats

Latvians Online | 

The number of candidates running for the 11th Saeima has decreased by two after the Central Election Commission in Rīga struck two names from the Christian Democratic Union’s (Kristīgi demokrātiskās savienība) ticket.

Andris Grīns and Arvis Circenis were candidates from the Kurzeme election district, but because have been convicted of crimes they cannot run for the parliament, election commission spokeswoman Kristīna Bērziņa said in an Aug. 26 press release.

Both men received fines for failing to file bankruptcy applications on time. Although both have paid their fines, the terms of their punishment do not expire until after the election, according to the press release.

The parliamentary election is scheduled Sept. 17.

A total of 13 parties or political associations are fielding candidates.

Think 13 candidate lists is too much? Saeima election in 1925 had 141!

Andris Straumanis | 

Thirteen political parties or coalitions are competing in the Sept. 17 parliamentary election in Latvia. While that may seem like a lot of interest for the 100 seats in the Saeima, it is worth recalling how things used to be.

The Central Statistical Bureau in Rīga recently posted numbers to remind its readers about elections past. The most notable factoid: In the 1925 election for the 2nd Saeima, a record number of candidate lists—141—was put before voters!

For those unfamiliar with Latvia’s voting system, political parties put forth lists of candidates. On election day, a voter chooses one list to support and may promote or demote specific candidates.

In the election for the 1st Saeima there were 88 candidate lists. The 3rd Saeima election featured 120 lists and the 4th Saeima, 103. The highest number of candidate lists in the post-Soviet era was 23 in the 1993 election for the 5th Saeima.

The number of candidate lists in 1925—many of which were created with dubious motivations—reminds me of the forbidden novel Karjera by A. Lanka (Andrejs Lankovskis, 1881-1944). In the story, first published in 1929 but banned by the Ministry of Education, a fellow by the name of Penteris travels from the countryside to Rīga to make his career. Realizing that other means of making a name for himself will be difficult, he and his newfound acquaintance Slenderis decide to form a political party and campaign for the upcoming Saeima election. (Karjera, by the way, was reprinted in 1991 by the publishing house LGBS Ltd. in Rīga.)

The 1925 election ran for two days and had nearly 75 percent turnout, according to the Saeima website, www.saeima.lv. Of the 141 candidate lists, 48 saw candidates elected to the parliament. No wonder then that the daily newspaper Jaunākās Ziņas two days after the election carried an editorial cartoon poking fun at the 2,613 candidates who did not get into the Saeima and could only dream of the prize they did not win.

Editorial cartoon from Jaunākas Ziņas

An October 1925 editorial cartoon from Jaunākās Ziņas, a Rīga daily newspaper, poked fun at the 2,613 candidates who did not get elected to the 2nd Saeima and were left dreaming of what could have been.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

13 parties to vie for 11th Saeima

Andris Straumanis | 

A total of 13 political parties or coalitions will be on the ballot Sept. 17 when Latvian voters go to the polls in the homeland and abroad to elect a new parliament, according to the Central Election Commission in Rīga.

No. 1 in the packet of candidate lists voters will receive will be Vienotība (Unity), a center-right party that merges Jaunais laiks (New Era), Pilsoniskā savienība (Civic Union) and Sabiedrība citai politikai (Society for a Different Politics).

The order of lists was determined Aug. 19 in a drawing run by the election commission. Voters on Sept. 17 will choose one list to vote for, and may promote or demote specific candidates on that list.

The election for the 11th Saeima is a result of the July 23 referendum in which voters resoundingly chose to dissolve the 10th Saeima, a response called for by former President Valdis Zatlers.

The order of candidate lists is as follows:

  1. Vienotība, which controlled the most seats in the 10th Saeima—33 out of 100—and currently runs the government in coalition with Zaļo un Zemnieku savienība (Union of Greens and Farmers).
  2. Latvijas Sociāldemokrātiskā strādnieku partija (Latvian Socialdemocratic Workers Party, or LSDSP). The party appeared on the ballot for the 10th Saeima under the umbrella of the Atbildība socialdemocratic coalition.
  3. Zatlera Reformu partija (Zatlers’ Reform Party). The party was officially founded July 23—the same day as the referendum—and is led by the former president, Zatlers.
  4. Kristīgi demokrātiskā savienība (Christian Democratic Union), a centrist Christian-oriented party.
  5. Šlesera Reformu partija LPP/LC (Šlesers’ Reform Party LPP/LC), a conservative party led by oligarch Ainārs Šlesers. Under the banner of Par labu Latviju! (For a Good Latvia!), the party in the last parliamentary election partnered with the now-defunct Tautas partija (People’s Party) led by oligarch Andris Šķēle. Together they controlled eight seats in the Saeima. Partly as a commentary on the new party led by Zatlers, Latvijas Pirmā partija (First Party of Latvia, or LPP/LC) changed its name to the Šlesera Reformu partija.
  6. Saskaņas Centrs (Harmony Centre), the center-left Russian-oriented bloc that had the second greatest number of seats, 29,  in the 10th Saeima.
  7. Par cilvēka tiesībām vienotā Latvijā (For Human Rights in a United Latvia, or PCTVL), the left-leaning pro-Moscow party that once had great resonance among Russian-speaking voters.
  8. Nacionālā apvienība “Visu Latvijai!” – “Tēvzemei un Brīvība/LNNK”, a recently formed nationalist and conservative bloc. In the previous election, the bloc won eight seats in the Saeima. The right-wing conservative Tēvzemei un Brīvībai/LNNK (For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK) is the older party, formed in 1997. Visu Latvijai! (All for Latvia) began as a political movement in 2002.
  9. Par prezidentālu republiku (For a Presidential Republic), a reformist party that, among other goals, seeks direct election of the president and a smaller Saeima.
  10. Pēdējā partija (Last Party), a somewhat tongue-in-cheek movement that eschews traditional politics. It seeks a reduction in the role of political parties and an increase in civic involvement.
  11. Zaļo un Zemnieku savienība (ZZS), a conservative party that controlled 22 seats in the 10th Saeima. It runs the current government in coalition with Vienotība. ZZS is tied to oligrach and Ventspils Mayor Aivars Lembergs.
  12. Tautas kontrole (Control by the People), a centrist and family-oriented party.
  13. Brīvība: Brīvs no bailēm, naida un dusmām (Freedom: Free from Fear, Hate and Anger), a new movement based in Ventspils that seeks, among other goals, direct election of the president and creation of a new constitution.

Details about each party’s or coalition’s platform are available from the Central Election Commission’s website, www.cvk.lv.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.