LTV1 to broadcast opening session of Latvia’s 15th Saeima

Latvia’s public broadcaster LTV1 will air the opening session of the newly elected 15th Saeima, alongside interviews and expert discussions, LSM reported. Coverage will begin at 9:45 on Tuesday, November 3, with the session scheduled to start at 10:00. It will also be available on REplay.lv and LSM.lv.

Under Latvia’s constitution, the newly elected parliament convenes on the first Tuesday in November, when the previous parliament’s term ends. At its first session, members are due to make their solemn oath and elect the Saeima speaker and Presidium.

During breaks in the proceedings and voting, journalists Ilze Dobele and Gundars Rēders will host discussions from a studio in the parliament building. Guests will discuss the role of parliament, lawmakers’ competence and public expectations of the new deputies. They include constitutional law experts Jānis Pleps and Edgars Pastars, SKDS director Arnis Kaktiņš, sociologist Jurijs Ķīķišins, RSU researcher Ieva Puzo, Telos.lv editor Agnese Irbe, philosopher and University of Latvia associate professor Igor Gubenko, historian Gatis Krūmiņš and columnist Lolita Tomsons.

The broadcast will also feature interviews with 15th Saeima members, including first-time lawmakers, conducted by journalist Madara Līcīte. Voters who took part in LTV1’s pre-election project will share their views, while political scientists, representatives of education, culture and science, economists, businesspeople and foreign investors will discuss their expectations of the new parliament.