Latvian parliamentary election, 1993

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Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 5 and 6 June 1993, [1] the first after independence was restored in 1991. Latvian Way emerged as the largest party in the Saeima, winning 36 of the 100 seats. A total of 23 parties participated in the elections, although only eight received 4% or more of votes and won seats. [2] Voter turnout was 91.2%, the highest in the country's history. [3] Only 66–75% of Latvian residents qualified to vote, with the majority of those not able to vote being Russian. [4]

Latvia republic in Northeastern Europe

Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. Since its independence, Latvia has been referred to as one of the Baltic states. It is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, and Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants and a territory of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi). The country has a temperate seasonal climate.

Latvian Way political party

Latvian Way was a conservative-liberal political party in Latvia. It merged with Latvia's First Party to form the Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way (LPP/LC) in 2007.

Saeima parliament of Latvia

The Saeima is the parliament of the Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the popular vote. Elections are scheduled to be held once every four years, normally on the first Saturday of October. The most recent elections were held in October 2018.

Contents

Results

PartyVotes%Seats
Latvian Way 362,47332.436
Latvian National Independence Movement 149,34713.415
National Harmony Party 134,28912.013
Latvian Farmers' Union 119,11610.712
Equal Rights 64,4445.87
For Fatherland and Freedom 59,8555.46
Christian Democratic Union 56,0575.06
Democratic Center Party 53,3034.85
Popular Front of Latvia 29,3962.60
Green List13,3621.20
Party of Russian Citizens in Latvia13,0061.20
Latvian Democratic Workers' Party10,5090.90
Electoral Union "Happiness of Latvia"9,8140.90
Citizens Union "Our Land"8,6870.90
Economic Activity League8,3330.70
Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party 7,4160.70
Anti-Communist Union5,9540.50
Republican Platform5,0750.50
Conservatives and Peasants2,7970.30
Independents' Union1,9680.20
Latvian Liberal Party1,5200.10
Latvian Unity Party 1,0700.10
Liberal Alliance5250.00
Invalid/blank votes15,888
Total1,134,204100100
Registered voters/turnout1,243,95691.2
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Aftermath

A coalition minority government was formed between Latvian Way and the Latvian Farmers' Union. However, the coalition only commanded the support of 48 out of the 100 MPs, meaning that it was heavily reliant on opposition parties to ensure a parliamentary majority.

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References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1122 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. "Election results of the 5th Saeima (parliament) of the Republic of Latvia". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  3. Nohlen & Stöver, p1123
  4. "Minorities at Risk Project, Chronology for Russians in Latvia, 2004, Jun 4 - 5, 1993". Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM), University of Maryland.