Description of Electoral System:

(courtesy of wikipedia)

Latvia elects on national level a legislature. The Saeima has 100 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation with a 5% threshold. An unmodified Sainte-Laguë method is used to allocate seats. The parliamentary elections are held on the first Saturday of October. Locally, Latvia elects municipal councils, consisting of 7 to 60 members, depending on the size of the municipality, also by proportional representation for a four year term.

Electoral Systems Snapshot

(Courtesy of International IDEA)

*Click on links for definitions

WANT MORE ELECTION RELATED STATS FOR LATVIA? Go to "election databases" on the left-hand menu of this page OR comparative data on the right-hand menu and choose your area of interest.

Politics of Latvia

(courtesy of wikipedia)

Politics of Latvia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. The President holds a primarily ceremonial role as Head of State. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament, the Saeima. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. 

Past Elections

Saeima Elections - 2006
Saeima Elections are held once every four years, on the first Saturday of October. The most recent elections, the 9^th Saeima elections were held on Saturday, October 7, 2006. 60,08 % of Latvian citizens eligible to vote participated in the elections. Detailed information and election results are found here. Final report of the OSCE-ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission on Saeima elections can be read here.

In March, 2005 local elections (elections of city, district and pagasts councils) were held in Latvia. Local elections in Latvia are held every four years. The Central Election Commission of Latvia announces each local elections not later than three months before the election day and supervises them, while the elections are prepared and organized by the election commissions of cities, districts and pagasts. In local elections the administrative territory of each city, district and pagasts makes a single electoral district. Local elections are organized by the election commissions of cities, districts and pagasti and financed from the budget of the corresponding local government. 52,85 % of citizens eligible to vote took part in local elections 2005. Election results are here.