Members of the Saeima on Thursday adopted, in the final reading, amendments to the Saeima Election Law proposed by the Central Election Commission, which provide for manual vote counting in the parliamentary elections scheduled for this autumn.
The initiative to ensure manual vote counting was proposed by the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, citing concerns about the risks of interference related to information technologies. Under the current legal framework, the decision on the method of vote counting should be made by the Central Election Commission; however, the commission decided to refer the decision to the Saeima.
On Tuesday, the Central Election Commission approached the Saeima’s State Administration and Local Government Committee, urging it to introduce the relevant amendments.
As the Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Māris Zviedris, told journalists, the commission considered two options — involving the legislator or making the decision at the commission level. Zviedris noted that a parliamentary decision would reduce speculation about the commission’s motives, as the commission is a collegial institution where opinions and decisions may differ.
Zviedris also stated that
the Central Election Commission is awaiting assessments from law enforcement authorities
regarding the development process of the election system and potential risks. At the same time, the formation of polling station commissions has already begun in several municipalities, making clarity on the vote-counting procedure important for the preparation process.
It was also reported that Rinkēvičs made this proposal after reviewing information provided by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding possible irregularities in information technology procurements and their potential impact on the 2026 Saeima election process.
In criminal proceedings initiated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the State Police detained 21 individuals, including public officials, on suspicion of fraud in information technology procurements worth 1.5 million euros.
As a preventive measure, pre-trial detention was applied to public procurement specialist Ainārs Biders,
former director of the State Digital Development Agency Jorens Liopa, and the owner and head of the Corporate Solutions group of companies Aigars Ceruss.
The criminal proceedings were initiated at the end of last year and are classified under provisions of the Criminal Law concerning large-scale fraud committed by an organised group and large-scale money laundering committed by an organised group.
According to information obtained during the investigation, an organised group of individuals entered into an unlawful secret agreement to predetermine winners in public procurement procedures in at least six projects financed by the European Regional Development Fund, with a total value of up to 1.5 million euros. There are suspicions that the contracts were unlawfully secured with the assistance of public officials, while the illegally obtained profits were distributed among those involved.
In a press release, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that the implementation of some of these projects may also pose potential national security risks, as they could affect elections and democratic processes.
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