United List tops results in 36 of Latvia’s 42 municipalities

The United List has won the most support in 36 of Latvia’s 42 municipalities in the 15th Saeima election, according to LSM, with 95.4% of votes counted. The party failed to lead in only six municipalities, all in Latgale.

The results mark a sharp shift from the previous parliamentary election. In 2022, New Unity topped the vote in 21 of the then 43 municipalities, while the United List won only in Liepāja and South Kurzeme Municipality. The number of municipalities has since fallen to 42 after Varakļāni Municipality was merged with Madona Municipality.

Latvia First, led by Ainārs Šlesers, topped the results in the six municipalities where the United List did not. In 2022, the party had not won the most support in any municipality. Five of this year’s six Latvia First wins, excluding Ludza Municipality, went to the Stability! party in 2022. In 2018, Harmony, now Harmony Centre, led in all six.

In the 2022 election, five political forces topped the results across Latvia’s 43 municipalities: New Unity, the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS), Stability!, the United List and Development/For!. The same party as in 2018 led in only three municipalities in 2022: Balvi and Ventspils municipalities, and the city of Ventspils. In all three, the winner was ZZS.

The latest count covered 1,007 of 1,059 polling stations and was updated at 7:30 a.m. on October 4.