Latvians urged to vote as institutions seek higher turnout

Institutions, organisations and public figures across Latvia are encouraging eligible voters to take part in the upcoming parliamentary elections, LSM reports. Many people have heard friends and relatives ask why they should vote, as political parties campaign for support.

Irena Kucina, chair of Latvia’s Constitutional Court, said public participation was vital in a democratic state governed by the rule of law. “We all shape the Latvian state, and what it will be like depends on us,” she said. In her view, standing aside means becoming indifferent to one’s country.

The Constitution guarantees citizens the right to vote, but voting is not a legal obligation in Latvia, unlike in some other countries. Kucina said people could nevertheless regard it as a personal duty, because their vote expresses the kind of country they want to see.

She urged voters to examine parties’ programmes, distinguish proposals from populism and consider parties’ records, so that their promises match their actions.

September polls by SKDS and the social research agency Latvijas Fakti suggested that seven parties and alliances would clear the five percent threshold to enter parliament: the United List, Latvia First, Sovereign Power / Association of New Latvians, the National Alliance, New Unity, the Union of Greens and Farmers, and the Progressives. The polls differed on the groups’ projected vote shares. SKDS placed Sovereign Power / Association of New Latvians second, while Latvijas Fakti ranked it sixth.