Russian-speaking voters split between LPV and Stepaņenko’s coalition

Russian-speaking voters in Latvia’s 15th Saeima election turned mainly to Latvia First (LPV) and the Sovereign Power/New Latvians Alliance, LSM reported. The party Stabilitātei!, which had previously been the most prominent force among these voters, failed to win seats in the Saeima, Latvia’s parliament.

Political scientist Jānis Ikstens said LPV attracted more moderate voters, while the alliance led by Jūlija Stepaņenko drew those with more radical views. He described the two parties as the leading magnets for East Slavic voters over the coming four years, and said Russia featured less often in the alliance’s messaging than in that of Aleksejs Rosļikovs’s party.

For years, Harmony had united many voters who speak Russian at home. Its support fell after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when the party condemned the aggression. Harmony then failed to enter parliament for the first time, while the comparatively new Stabilitātei! won 11 seats.

Stabilitātei! also failed to return to parliament in the latest election and will no longer receive state funding. The party attributed its defeat to a fierce campaign. Former MP Glorija Grevcova said social media and artificial intelligence had changed political campaigning, with content creators now competing and campaigning on politicians’ behalf.