Research finds parliament underrepresents young and poorer people

Young people and lower-income residents are underrepresented in Latvia’s parliament, while women make up a smaller share of lawmakers than of society, LSM reports. Research by Līga Stafecka of the Providus analytical centre found significant differences between the social profiles of members of the Saeima and Latvia’s population.

Latvia has almost two million residents, while the Saeima has 100 deputies. In theory, each lawmaker represents nearly 20,000 people. However, the average deputy is older than the average resident, and lawmakers are much more likely to have higher education and to enter politics from management or political positions.

According to the research summary, 90% of deputies have higher education. A common career path leads from local government to the Saeima.

“The Saeima is not a voting machine. These are not robots working in the Saeima. They are real people, each with their own experience, knowledge, professional career and family circumstances,” Stafecka said.

She said these factors significantly affect how well an elected deputy understands voters, making it important to examine the parliament’s composition from a social perspective.

Most people do not feel they influence power

The research used data from an SKDS survey as its reference point. Some 74.6% of respondents agreed with the statement that “people like them have no influence over what the Saeima and government do.”

Stafecka said the figure reflects more than trust in particular politicians. In her view, it points to a broader sense of political helplessness, with people believing they cannot influence political processes, their own lives or the country’s future.

“From the perspective of democracy, this is quite dangerous. People feel they no longer have the opportunity to influence much in their own lives or Latvia’s future,” she said, adding that the figure was not favourable for Latvian politics because it could create a large group of apathetic people who believe they cannot change anything.