Latvian parties spend 2.78 million euros on election campaigns

Latvian political parties have spent a total of 2.78 million euros on pre-election campaigning, about the same as before the previous parliamentary election four years ago, LSM reported, citing Latvian Television’s Panorama programme.

The United List spent the most, nearly 591,000 euros, or 57% of the permitted campaign spending limit of one million euros. The Union of Greens and Farmers spent 451,000 euros, followed by Latvia First with 386,000 euros and New Unity with 373,000 euros. Together, the four parties accounted for nearly two-thirds of the reported spending.

At the other end of the scale, Rising Sun for Latvia spent just over 3,000 euros, while the New Conservative Party spent 14,000 euros. The gap between the highest and lowest spending parties was more than 180-fold.

More than half of all campaign spending, around 1.5 million euros, went on outdoor advertising, including posters and billboards. Parties spent 465,000 euros on radio advertising, almost 298,000 euros on press advertising and 263,000 euros on online advertising.

No party came close to the one-million-euro spending limit. Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau is considering whether to propose reviewing the limit after the election.