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Latvia's United List wins election, set for 42 seats as coalition talks loom
En breve
Latvia's ruling United List party, led by Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, won Saturday's parliamentary election and is set to take 42 of the 100 seats in the Saeima, according to preliminary results. UPI put United List at 35.4% of the vote, while AP said Kulbergs's four-party coalition emerged with 35%. Kulbergs will need to negotiate with other parties to form a majority government.
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Latvia's ruling United List party, led by Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, won Saturday's parliamentary election and is set to take 42 of the 100 seats in the Saeima, according to preliminary results. UPI put United List at 35.4% of the vote, more than 20 percentage points ahead of the far-right Latvia First party. AP said Kulbergs's four-party coalition emerged with 35% of the vote, a difference in how the two outlets described the winning bloc's share. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Kulbergs, who has been prime minister since May, said the result was above expectations and matched the lead exit polls had shown. “That means people truly want change,” he said, which he said meant “economic growth” and “a future for (Latvia's) children.” AP reported that lawmakers planned on Sunday to begin negotiations to form a new government, and that a multiparty coalition would be needed in a splintered political landscape. Parties must take at least 5% of the vote to win seats. [ 2 , 3 ]
UPI reported that Latvia First is headed by Ainārs Šlesers, a veteran politician who opposes restrictive tariffs on Russia. The conservative National Alliance and centre-right New United, two partners in Kulbergs's outgoing coalition, were set to return to parliament after clearing the 5% threshold, UPI reported. [ 3 ]
Voter turnout was above 51%, according to election data cited by AP. Nearly 1.56 million people in the nation of more than 1.8 million were entitled to choose the 100 members of the single-chamber Saeima for a four-year term. [ 2 ]
AP reported that a political crisis in May over the handling of stray drones suspected of coming from Ukraine brought down the governing coalition, which had been under strain over several other issues, and that parliament then approved the coalition led by Kulbergs of the centrist United List party, previously in opposition. UPI said Kulbergs's predecessor, Evika Siliņa, resigned after stray drone strikes by Ukraine; the two outlets describe the drone incident differently. AP reported that Latvia borders both Russia and Moscow-allied Belarus and, like Lithuania and Estonia, strongly supports Ukraine. UPI said the campaign focused on high inflation, uncertainty surrounding troubles at national airline airBaltic, and migration orchestrated by Russia and Belarus. [ 2 , 3 ]
Por qué importa
The result keeps a pro-Ukraine prime minister in office in a country on NATO's eastern flank that borders Russia and Moscow-allied Belarus. Because no party holds a majority in the 100-seat Saeima, the shape of the next government depends on coalition talks that were set to begin.
Datos clave
- United List, led by Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, won the most seats in Latvia's parliamentary election and is set to take 42 of the Saeima's 100 seats. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- UPI reported United List led with 35.4% of the vote; AP said Kulbergs's four-party coalition emerged with 35%. [ 2 , 3 ]
- UPI reported the far-right Latvia First party, led by Ainārs Šlesers, finished more than 20 percentage points behind United List. [ 3 ]
- Voter turnout was above 51%, with nearly 1.56 million people entitled to choose the 100 members of the single-chamber Saeima for a four-year term. [ 2 ]
- Parties must win at least 5% of the vote to enter parliament, and a multiparty coalition will be needed to govern. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Kulbergs, prime minister since May, said the result was above expectations and matched exit polls, calling it a sign people want change, economic growth and a future for Latvia's children. [ 3 ]
- UPI reported the campaign focused on high inflation, uncertainty over troubles at national airline airBaltic, and migration orchestrated by Russia and Belarus. [ 3 ]
Confirmado por varias fuentes
- United List, led by Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, won the most seats in Latvia's parliamentary election and is set to take 42 of the Saeima's 100 seats. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Kulbergs will need to negotiate with other parties to form a majority government. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Latvia strongly supports Ukraine, and the vote took place amid concern about potential Russian aggression. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Kulbergs has been prime minister since May 2026. [ 2 , 3 ]
Aún sin aclarar
- What brought down the previous government and who led it before Kulbergs. AP says a political crisis in May over the handling of stray drones suspected of coming from Ukraine brought down the governing coalition, while UPI says predecessor Evika Siliņa resigned after stray drone strikes by Ukraine; the two accounts of the drone incident differ and only one names the predecessor.
- Final certified results and the composition of the next coalition. UPI describes the figures as preliminary, and the documents say only that coalition negotiations were due to begin, with no outcome reported.
Qué dicen los medios locales
Cronología, hora local
- Bloomberg reports that Kulbergs's United List party won a record 42 parliamentary seats, a result it says should help him consolidate power amid growing security threats from Russia. [ 1 ]
- AP reports Kulbergs's four-party coalition took 35% of the vote and that lawmakers planned to begin negotiations to form a new government, with turnout above 51%. [ 2 ]
- UPI reports preliminary results showing United List at 35.4%, more than 20 points ahead of the far-right Latvia First party, and Kulbergs saying the result was above expectations. [ 3 ]