Info
Parties and Candidates
PC001
Registration requirements for parties (Chamber 1)
Question: What are the registration requirements for political parties running for national elections (Chamber 1)?
Answer(s):
b . Deposit requirement (specify amount) f . Other
Comments: Article 9: (1) A list of candidates may be submitted:
1) by a legally registered political party;
2) by a legally registered alliance of political parties.
Article 12: (1) The Central Election Commission shall register only those lists of candidates whose submitters have made a security deposit of EUR 1,400 in the bank account of the Central Election Commission.
Source: Electoral Law: The Saeima Election Law as in force on 19 July 2014, art. 9, 12: http://cvk.lv/pub/public/30870.html?doc_print=1 (2014)
Verified: 2014/10/09
PC003
Registration requirements for candidates (Chamber 1)
Question: What are the legal qualifications to become a candidate at legislative elections (Chamber 1)?
Answer(s):
a . Age b . Citizenship
Comments: Article 4: Any citizen of Latvia who has reached the age of 21 before Election Day may be elected to the Saeima unless any of the restrictions specified in Article 5 of this Law apply.
Article 5: Persons are not to be included in the lists of candidates and are not eligible to be elected to the Saeima if they:
1) have been placed under statutory trusteeship by the court;
2) are serving a court sentence in a penitentiary;
3) have been convicted of an intentionally committed criminal offence except in cases when persons have been rehabilitated or their conviction has been expunged or vacated;
4) have committed a criminal offence set forth in the Criminal Law in a state of mental incapacity or a state of diminished mental capacity or who, after committing a criminal offence, have developed a mental disorder and thus are incapable of taking or controlling a conscious action and as a result have been subjected to compulsory medical measures, or whose cases have been dismissed without applying such compulsory medical measures;
5) belong to the salaried staff of the state security, intelligence or counterintelligence services of a foreign country or have belonged to the salaried staff of the state security, intelligence or counterintelligence services of the USSR or the Latvian SSR except persons who have been employed at the Planning, Finance or Administrative Departments of the Committee for State Security of the USSR or the Latvian SSR;
6) after 13 January 1991 have been active in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (the Communist Party of Latvia), the International Front of the Working People of the Latvian SSR, the United Board of Working Bodies, the Organisation of War and Labour Veterans, the All-Latvia Salvation Committee or its regional committees;
7) have been sentenced with a prohibition to stand as a candidate in the elections of the Saeima, European Parliament, city or municipality councils unless they have been rehabilitated or their conviction has been expunged or vacated.
Source: Electoral Law: The Saeima Election Law as in force on 19 July 2014, art. 4-5: http://cvk.lv/pub/public/30870.html?doc_print=1 (2014)
Verified: 2014/10/09
PC008
Independent candidates
Question: Can independent candidates compete in presidential or legislative elections?
Answer(s):
b . In presidential elections
Comments: Constitution: Article 37. Any person who enjoys full rights of citizenship and who has attained the age of forty years may be elected President. A person with dual citizenship may not be elected President.
Electoral Law: Article 9: (1) A list of candidates may be submitted:
1) by a legally registered political party;
2) by a legally registered association of political parties.
Source: Constitution: The Constitution of the Republic of Latvia as amended on 8 April 2009, art. 37: http://legislationline.org/download/action/download/id/4777/file/Latvia_Constitution_am2009_en.pdf (2014);
Electoral Law: The Saeima Election Law as in force on 19 July 2014, art. 9 (1): http://cvk.lv/pub/public/30870.html?doc_print=1 (2014)
Verified: 2014/10/09
PC012
Public funding of parties
Question: Do political parties receive direct/indirect public funding?
Answer(s):
c . Indirect
Comments: Law on Financing: Section 2. Sources of Financing
(1) Political organisations (parties) may be financed by:
1) membership fees and joining fees;
2) gifts (donations) from natural persons;
3) the income earned by economic activities of the relevant political organisation (party); and/or
4) other sources of financing, except by those prohibited to finance political
organisations (parties) by law.
Law on Pre-election Campaign: Section 2: (1) Candidates who are in a list of candidates of the same title have the right to use the broadcasting time of the Latvian Radio and Latvian Television for pre-election campaign free of charge in accordance with the procedures and the amount stipulated in this Law if they have submitted a statement regarding the submission of the list of candidates at least 40 days before the election day.
Source: Law: Law on Financing of Political Organisations (Parties) as amended on 25 September 2008, sec. 2(1).
Law: Law on Pre-election Campaign Before the Saeima Elections and Elections to the European Parliament as amended till 15 January 2009, sec. 2(1).
Verified: 2014/10/03
PC015
Question: What is the basis of the public funding?
Answer(s):
a . Equal funding, regardless of size and previous performance
Comments: Section 5: (1) Candidates who are in the list of candidates of the same title have the right to use the following free of charge for pre-election campaign in the Latvian Radio and Latvian Television:
1) 10 minutes during the time period from the 29th day until the 8th day before the election day; and
2) 10 minutes during the time period from the 7th day until the penultimate day before the election day.
(11) In the case referred to in Section 2, Paragraph four of this Law candidates who are in the list of candidates of the same title have the right to use free of charge 10 minutes during the time period from the 7th day until the penultimate day before the election day for pre-election campaign in the Latvian Radio and Latvian Television.
(2) The candidates who are in the respective list of candidates may use the free of charge broadcasting time provided for in Paragraph one of this Section at their discretion.
Source: Law: Law on Pre-election Campaign Before the Saeima Elections and Elections to the European Parliament as amended till 15 January 2009, sec. 5.
Verified: 2014/10/03
PC017
Question: Are political parties entitled to private funding?
Answer:
a . Yes
Comments: Section 2. Sources of Financing
(1) Political organisations (parties) may be financed by:
1) membership fees and joining fees;
2) gifts (donations) from natural persons;
3) the income earned by economic activities of the relevant political organisation(party); and/or
4) other sources of financing, except by those prohibited to finance political
organisations (parties) by law.
Source: Law: Law on Financing of Political Organisations (Parties) as amended on 25 September 2008, sec. 2(1).
Verified: 2014/10/03
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