Latvian parliamentary election, 2006
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Latvia |
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Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 7 October 2006.[1] The governing coalition, led by Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis and his People's Party, won the election. Kalvitis's government thus became the first to be re-elected since Latvia had regained independence in 1991.[2]
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| People's Party | 177,481 | 19.7 | 23 | +3 |
| Union of Greens and Farmers | 151,595 | 16.8 | 18 | +6 |
| New Era Party | 148,602 | 16.5 | 18 | –8 |
| Harmony Centre | 130,887 | 14.5 | 17 | New |
| Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way | 77,869 | 8.6 | 10 | 0 |
| For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK | 62,989 | 7.0 | 8 | +1 |
| For Human Rights in United Latvia | 54,684 | 6.1 | 6 | –19 |
| Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party | 31,728 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Motherland | 18,860 | 2.1 | 0 | New |
| All For Latvia! | 13,469 | 1.5 | 0 | New |
| New Democrats | 11,505 | 1.3 | 0 | New |
| Pensioners and Seniors Party | 7,175 | 0.8 | 0 | New |
| Mara's Land | 4,400 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Euroskeptic Party | 3,365 | 0.4 | 0 | New |
| Our Land Party | 2,065 | 0.2 | 0 | New |
| Social Fairness Party | 1,575 | 0.2 | 0 | New |
| National Power Union | 1,172 | 0.1 | 0 | New |
| Latvian's Latvia National Political Defence Organisation | 1,130 | 0.1 | 0 | New |
| Fatherland Union | 1,114 | 0.1 | 0 | New |
| Invalid/blank votes | 7,311 | – | – | – |
| Total | 908,976 | 100 | 100 | 0 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,490,636 | 61.0 | – | – |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||||
Conduct
The OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission found that "despite the ongoing naturalization process, the fact that a significant percentage of the adult population of Latvia does not enjoy voting rights represents a continuing democratic deficit". Its recommendations included:
- allowing independent candidates to stand in elections;
- giving consideration to granting “non-citizens” of Latvia the right to vote in municipal elections;
- allowing instructional materials, voter information and other relevant documents to be produced in both Latvian and Russian;
- clarifying applicability of the Party Financing Law to third-party activities in support of an electoral campaign or during the campaign period;
- considering terminating candidacy restrictions based on lustration provisions prior to the next Saeima elections.[3]
MP J. Boldāns, elected from TB/LNNK, was sentenced by Latgale Regional Court to imprisonment for election fraud. J. Boldāns has appealed.[4]
A member of "Harmony centre" J. Klementjevs and three employees of his enterprise were fined for buying votes by Zemgale Regional Court.[5]
The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) found that The People's Party, LPP/LC, Harmony Centre, New Era and UGF had exceeded spending limits.[6]
Aftermath
The governing coalition of the People's Party, the Union of Greens and Farmers, the New Era Party and Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way received strong support from the voters, with 69 of the 100 MPs. Although this coalition could have continued, a new governing coalition was formed by the People's Party, the Union of Greens and Farmers, Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way and For Fatherland and Freedom, ejecting the New Era Party from government.
References
- ↑ Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1122 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
- ↑ Latvian coalition retains power BBC News, 8 October 2006
- ↑ Republic of Latvia parliamentary elections 7 October 2006. OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission Final Report, 2007
- ↑ Boldānam par vēlēšanu rezultātu viltošanu piespriež cietumsodu(in Latvian)
- ↑ No SC ievēlētā Saeimas deputāta brālis atstās partiju(in Latvian)
- ↑ Pārskats par atklātajiem partiju finansēšanas pārkāpumiem Saeimas vēlēšanās 2006. gadā(in Latvian)
External links
- (in Latvian) Ratings of Latvia's political parties
- (in English) Central Election Commission
- (in Latvian) The 9th Saeima election website
