Latvia bans election campaigning on final two days before vote

Campaign materials will be prohibited in public spaces and media on Friday and Saturday, election day for Latvia’s 15th Saeima, the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) said, according to LSM.

The ban covers campaign materials in print publications, public spaces and electronic media. Paid political promotion on social networks and elsewhere online is also prohibited.

Candidates, campaigners and other people may not distribute campaign materials in public or campaign through state and municipal social media accounts. They are also barred from giving potential voters items bearing political organisations’ symbols.

People may still post or share unpaid content and express political views on social networks and other online platforms on Friday and election day. However, they may not pay to promote those posts. Paid promotion is also prohibited for videos and other campaign materials whose visual content was created using artificial intelligence tools.

Campaign materials can include posters, leaflets, videos, interviews and social media posts. People who spot prohibited campaigning can report it to KNAB anonymously through the Ziņo KNAB app, by calling 80002070 or by emailing [email protected].

The campaign period for the election began on June 6 and ends on October 3. KNAB monitors political advertising in print publications, public places and online.