Latvians vote in election shaped by security and rising costs

Latvians voted Saturday to elect all 100 members of the Saeima, with security concerns about Russia and pressure from rising living costs shaping a contest expected to produce a fragmented parliament and difficult coalition negotiations. Nearly 1.56 million people were eligible to vote in the Baltic country of more than 1.8 million residents. The election is the second since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Latvia, which borders Russia and Belarus and is a member of NATO and the European Union, has strongly backed Ukraine. Security and continued support for Kyiv featured prominently in the campaign, alongside voters’ concerns about prices, low wages and strains on healthcare. Polls pointed to the centrist United List, led by Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, emerging as the largest party, while forecasting a weaker showing for the governing coalition. Those projections did not establish the final seat distribution or which parties would form the next government. Parties must receive at least 5% of the vote to enter parliament, and reports said several of the 14 electoral lists were in contention to clear the threshold.