Riga nonvoters cite broken promises and distrust

Some Riga residents who skipped Latvia’s parliamentary election said they had lost faith in politicians and the electoral system, LSM reports. Turnout was historically low, with just under 52% of eligible voters casting ballots.

Latvia’s public broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija spoke with residents in the Riga neighbourhoods of Ziepniekkalns, Zolitūde and Imanta. Most people willing to talk had voted. Some nonvoters initially said they were in a hurry or uninterested, but described broader reasons for staying away.

Ziepniekkalns resident Olga Leonova said she had not had time to vote because she had a young child. She later explained that she had last voted about eight or 10 years ago. “They promise, promise, promise and do nothing,” she said, adding that politicians deliver only about five percent of what they pledge. She said she would vote again if they fulfilled even half their campaign promises.

Dzintra said she had not voted for 15 years and did not intend to do so again because she did not trust politicians. She called them “all thieves” and questioned what politician Ainārs Šlesers was doing. She said her distrust extended beyond individual politicians, adding that money determined everything and that those who had it lived happily.

Dzintra said she had once voted for different politicians, most recently for Valdis Dombrovskis of New Unity when he became prime minister. She also recalled serving on election commissions and counting votes in Soviet times, saying she had seen a lot and that little had changed.