This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Latvia |
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Foreign relations |
Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 30 September and 1 October 1995. [1] The Democratic Party "Saimnieks" emerged as the largest party in the Saeima, winning 18 of the 100 seats.
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.
The Democratic Party "Saimnieks" was a Latvian centre-left political party formed through the merger of the Latvian Democratic Party and the political party "Saimnieks" in 1995. It won the 1995 parliamentary election and was represented by 18 deputies in the 6th Saeima. It participated in Andris Šķēle's first and second cabinet, withdrawing from the coalition in 1998.
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.
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic Party "Saimnieks" | 144,758 | 15.2 | 18 | New |
People's Movement for Latvia | 142,324 | 15.0 | 16 | New |
Latvian Way | 139,929 | 14.7 | 17 | –19 |
For Fatherland and Freedom | 114,050 | 12.0 | 14 | +8 |
Latvian Unity Party | 68,305 | 7.2 | 8 | +8 |
ZS-LKDS-LDP | 60,498 | 6.4 | 8 | –10 |
NKP-ZP | 60,352 | 6.3 | 8 | New |
Socialist Party of Latvia | 53,325 | 5.6 | 5 | New |
National Harmony Party | 53,041 | 5.6 | 6 | –7 |
Labour and Justice Coalition | 43,599 | 4.6 | 0 | New |
Political Union of Economists | 14,209 | 1.5 | 0 | New |
Latvian Farmers' Union | 13,009 | 1.4 | 0 | –12 |
Party of Russian Citizens in Latvia | 11,924 | 1.3 | 0 | 0 |
Popular Front of Latvia | 11,090 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 |
Political Association of the Underprivileged and Latvian Independence Party | 9,468 | 1.0 | 0 | New |
Citizens Union "Our Land" – Anti-Communist Union | 5,050 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
Democrats' Party | 2,546 | 0.3 | 0 | New |
Latvian Liberal Party | 2,163 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
Latvian National Democratic Party | 1,367 | 0.1 | 0 | New |
Invalid/blank votes | 14,332 | – | – | – |
Total | 965,339 | 100 | 100 | 0 |
Registered voters/turnout | 1,328,779 | 72.6 | – | – |
Source: Nohlen & Stöver |
Both parties of government, Latvian Way and Latvian Farmers' Union were punished by the voters, with the latter being wiped out of the Saeima altogether. With no party able to form a working majority, a new government was formed led by independent Andris Šķēle.
Andris Šķēle is a former Latvian politician and business oligarch. He served two terms as Prime Minister of Latvia from 21 December 1995 to 7 August 1997, and from 16 July 1999 to 5 May 2000.
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