This autumn 14th Saeima elections will see one candidate more from Riga and Vidzeme election regions and one fewer in Latgale and Zemgale, according to data compiled by the Central Election Commission (CVK) on Thursday, 2 June.
While currently there are 35 deputies from Riga elected to the Saeima, in the next elections it will be necessary to elect 36 deputies from this election region. In Vidzeme it will be necessary to elect 26 deputies, in Latgale and Zemgale – 13 each, and in Kurzeme it will be necessary to elect 12.
According to information from the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, as of 31 May 2022 there were 563 356 voters registered in Riga’s election region, 395 630 in Vidzeme, 206 194 in Zemgale, 195 643 in Latgale and 180 456 in Kurzeme.
In total there are 1 541 279 voters registered in Latvia’s regions for Saeima elections.
According to information from CVK, since the 5th Saeima representation in the parliament has decreased the most in Latgale election region, where the number of deputies to be elected has decreased by seven. In Zemgale their number has decreased by three, in Kurzeme – by two, while in Vidzeme the number of elected deputies has remained largely unchanged, fluctuating by one or two deputies.
In Riga the number of elected deputies has increased by 12 deputies since the 5th Saeima.
As it is known, there are five election regions in Saeima elections – Riga, Vidzeme, Latgale, Kurzeme and Zemgale. It is from these regions voters will need to elect 100 deputies. According to Law on the Election of the Saeima, each election region calculates their respective number of election candidates based on their population numbers. Candidate lists are registered with the Register of Natural Persons four months before elections. Voters that live in foreign countries are added to the number of voters registered in Riga.
Latvian citizens aged 18 years and older have the right to vote in elections.
Latvian citizens older than 21 years have the right to run in Saeima elections.
Registration of lists of candidate for Saeima elections is normally done between 13 July and 2 August.
Political parties founded at least one year prior to Saeima election and which have no fewer than 500 members are allowed to submit candidate lists for elections.
14th Saeima election in Latvia will take place 1 October 2022.