Riga and Ludza voters react to Latvia’s election results

Voters interviewed in central Riga said they had cast ballots in the 15th Saeima election, while people in Ludza were not yet ready to analyse the results in detail and said they expected greater support for Latgale from the new government, LSM reported.

Riga residents gave mixed reactions. Maruta said she had never before voted with such enthusiasm and was pleased that the outcome matched her hopes. Zigurds said some parties had won more support than expected, while others had come close to missing out, adding that those elected had earned their place.

Ilze said she was not satisfied but wanted to see the final results and learn what coalition could be formed. She said she had heard that the United List was leading, followed by Latvia First, and questioned whether the parties could agree, given differences of opinion among United List members.

Turnout in Latgale was 47.17% of eligible voters. Latvia First received the most support in the region, followed by the United List and the Sovereign Power/Young Latvians Alliance. In Ludza municipality, Latvia First also led, with the Sovereign Power/Young Latvians Alliance second and the United List third.

One Ludza resident called the choice interesting and said they had voted for the United List because its candidates were local people they knew. Another said they had voted for the first list, while their wife had voted for the eighth, and argued that those parties cared more about Latgale than Riga did.