Latvian parliamentary election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The most recent elections for the 9th Saeima
, the parliament of Latvia
, were held on October 7, 2006. There were lists of candidates from 19 political parties. Turnout was 62.23%, with 901,173 out of 1,448,039 eligible voters casting votes.
Out of the 19 parties contesting the elections, 7 gathered 5% or more of votes and won seats in the parliament.
Aigars Kalvītis
and his People's Party
, won the election. Kalvitis's government thus became the first to be re-elected since Latvia had regained independence in 1991.
represents a continuing democratic deficit". Its recommendations include:
MP J. Boldāns, elected from TB/LNNK, was sentenced by Latgale Regional Court to imprisonment for election fraud. J. Boldāns has appealed..
A member of "Harmony centre" J. Klementjevs and three employees of his enterprise were fined for buying votes by Zemgale Regional Court.
The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) found that The People's Party, LPP/LC, Harmony Centre, New Era and UGF had exceeded spending limits.
Saeima
Saeima is the parliament of the Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the popular vote. Elections are scheduled to be held once every four years,...
, the parliament of Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, were held on October 7, 2006. There were lists of candidates from 19 political parties. Turnout was 62.23%, with 901,173 out of 1,448,039 eligible voters casting votes.
Out of the 19 parties contesting the elections, 7 gathered 5% or more of votes and won seats in the parliament.
Results
The governing coalition, led by Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Latvia
The Prime Minister of Latvia is the most powerful member of the Government of the Republic of Latvia, and presides over the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers...
Aigars Kalvītis
Aigars Kalvitis
Aigars Kalvītis is a Latvian politician, former Prime Minister of Latvia and current Chairman of the Board of Latvijas Balzams....
and his People's Party
People's Party (Latvia)
The People's Party was a centre-right political party in Latvia. It described itself as a conservative party.Tautas partija was founded in 1998 by Andris Šķēle, a businessman and former prime minister, who was the chairman of the party until 2002. Because of Šķēle's powerful personality, many...
, won the election. Kalvitis's government thus became the first to be re-elected since Latvia had regained independence in 1991.
Violations and evaluations
OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission found that "Despite the ongoing naturalization process, the fact that a significant percentage of the adult population of Latvia does not enjoy voting rightsrepresents a continuing democratic deficit". Its recommendations include:
- allowing independent candidates to stand in elections;
- giving consideration to granting “non-citizensNon-citizens (Latvia)Non-citizens in Latvian law are individuals who are not citizens of Latvia or any other country but, who, in accordance with the Latvian law "Regarding the status of citizens of the former USSR who possess neither Latvian nor other citizenship", have the right to a non-citizen passport issued by...
” of Latvia the right to vote in municipal elections; - allowing instructional materials, voter information and other relevant documents to be produced in both Latvian and Russian;
- clarifying applicability of the Party Financing Law to third-party activities in support of an electoral campaign or during the campaign period;
- considering terminating candidacy restrictions based on lustration provisions prior to the next Saeima elections.
MP J. Boldāns, elected from TB/LNNK, was sentenced by Latgale Regional Court to imprisonment for election fraud. J. Boldāns has appealed..
A member of "Harmony centre" J. Klementjevs and three employees of his enterprise were fined for buying votes by Zemgale Regional Court.
The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) found that The People's Party, LPP/LC, Harmony Centre, New Era and UGF had exceeded spending limits.
External links
Ratings of Latvia's political parties Central Election Commission The 9th Saeima election website- NSD: European Election Database - Latvia publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1990-2006