Skrunda sees relatively high voter turnout on election morning

Voter turnout was relatively high in Skrunda on Saturday morning, LSM reported, as residents weighed their choices in Latvia’s 15th parliamentary election.

Voters said they had learned about the parties and candidates by reading their programmes and watching televised debates. Some found it difficult to choose, while others said their decisions were clear.

Marina Lākute said the choice was difficult this year. She disliked the way parties put one another down during the campaign, calling it impolite, but said she knew whom she would vote for.

Kārlis Dēvits said he had followed the campaign, mostly on social media, and voted for the option that seemed most sensible to him. He said he had often changed his voting preference in the past, but now looked more closely at the parties and their proposals.

Atis Kokmanis said it had not been difficult to decide. He noted that what politicians say is not always the same as what they do, and said he had watched the final debates to see how candidates argued and explained their positions.

Svetlana Rudzīte said her choice was easy. She hoped that, judging by their actions, politicians would put things in order. She described voting as a family duty and said her daughter had voted earlier and called the day before to ask whether her parents had voted.

Polling stations in Latvia and abroad are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time on October 3. Voters could also cast their ballots in advance from September 28 until election day.