Latvian parliamentary election, 2011

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Latvian parliamentary election, 2011
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All 100 seats in the Saeima
51 seats needed for a majority

 First partySecond partyThird party
  Nil Ushakov.jpg Valdis Zatlers in 2011.jpg Valdis Dombrovskis 2009.jpg
Leader Nils Ušakovs Valdis Zatlers Valdis Dombrovskis
Party Harmony Centre Reform Unity
Leader since27 November 200523 July 201112 March 2009
Last election26.61%Did not contest31.90%
Seats before29033
Seats won312220
Seat changeIncrease2.svg2Increase2.svg22Decrease2.svg13
Popular vote259,930190,853172,567
Percentage28.36%20.82%18.83%
SwingIncrease2.svg1.75%Increase2.svg20.82%Decrease2.svg13.07%
 Fourth partyFifth party
  Raivis Dzintars.jpg Flickr - Saeima - 10.Saeimas deputats Raimonds Vejonis.jpg
Leader Raivis Dzintars Raimonds Vējonis
Party National Alliance ZZS
Leader since23 July 2011
Last election7.84%20.11%
Seats before822
Seats won1413
Seat changeIncrease2.svg6Decrease2.svg9
Popular vote127,208111,955
Percentage13.88%12.22%
SwingIncrease2.svg6.05%Decrease2.svg7.90%
Prime Minister before election

Valdis Dombrovskis
Unity

Prime Minister

Valdis Dombrovskis
Unity

An early parliamentary election was held in Latvia on 17 September 2011, [1] following the country's first parliamentary dissolution referendum held on 23 July 2011. The previous parliamentary election was only held in October 2010.

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.

Contents

The election resulted in Harmony Centre winning the most seats, up two to 31. This was the first time a pro-Russian party had won the most seats in a Latvian election. Unity, previously the largest party, fell to third, with 20 seats, behind the newly formed Zatlers' Reform Party, led by ex-President Valdis Zatlers, who had triggered the dissolution referendum in May. The right-wing National Alliance gained six seats to 14. Both the Union of Greens and Farmers and Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way lost heavily, with the latter falling out of the Saeima altogether.

Harmony Centre political coalition

Harmony Centre was a social-democratic political alliance in Latvia. It originally consisted of five political parties: the National Harmony Party, the Socialist Party of Latvia, New Centre, the Daugavpils City Party, and the Social Democratic Party. Through a series of mergers they were eventually reduced to two: Social Democratic Party "Harmony" and the Socialist Party.

President of Latvia

The President of Latvia, is head of state and commander-in-chief of the National Armed Forces of the Republic of Latvia.

Valdis Zatlers President of Latvia

Valdis Zatlers is a Latvian politician and former physician who served as the seventh president of Latvia from 2007 to 2011. He won the Latvian presidential election of 31 May 2007. He became President of Latvia on 8 July 2007 and left office on 7 July 2011 after failing to win reelection for a second term.

Zatlers and incumbent Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis soon agreed to form a coalition. Needing nine further seats to give them a majority allowed three possible coalitions – with Harmony Centre, the National Alliance, or the Union of Greens and Farmers. The Greens and Farmers were quickly ruled out by Zatlers, who judged it to be an "oligarch's party". After initial talks with the National Alliance, the two briefly discussed a grand coalition with Harmony Centre. However, Zatlers and Unity returned to the National Alliance, and the three signed a coalition agreement on 11 October, with Dombrovskis as Prime Minister. The new government was confirmed by the Saeima on 25 October. A few days before the government formation, six MPs split from Zatlers' Reform Party; they still supported the new government, however. [2]

Prime Minister of Latvia position

The Prime Minister of Latvia is the most powerful member of the Government of Latvia, and presides over the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers. The Prime Minister is nominated by the President of Latvia, but must be able to obtain the support of a majority of the Saeima (parliament).

Valdis Dombrovskis politician from Latvia, 11th Prime Minister of Latvia

Valdis Dombrovskis is a Latvian politician and the current European Commission Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue, serving since November 2014. He served as Prime Minister of Latvia from 2009 until 2014, when he resigned. He served as Minister of Finance from 2002 to 2004 and was a Member of the European Parliament for the New Era Party. Following the resignation of Jonathan Hill, it was announced that Dombrovskis will take over the portfolio for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union from 16 July 2016. He delivers keynote speeches at events.

The term business oligarch is almost a synonym of the term business magnate, borrowed by the English-speaking and western media from post-Soviet parlance to label those businessmen who quickly acquired huge wealth in post-Soviet states during the privatization in Russia and in other post-Soviet states in the 1990s. Post-Soviet oligarchs are magnates who control sufficient resources to influence national politics. A business group might be defined as an oligarch if it satisfies the following conditions:

  1. owners are the largest private owners in the country
  2. it possesses sufficient political power to promote its own interests
  3. owners control multiple businesses, which intensively coordinate their activities.

Background

Prior to the election, a number of changes in Latvia's party system occurred:

Social Democratic Party "Harmony" political party in Latvia

The Social Democratic Party "Harmony", also commonly referred to as Harmony (Saskaņa), is a social-democratic political party in Latvia. It is the main catch-all party of the centre-left in Latvian politics. The party was founded in 2010 as the merger of the National Harmony Party (TSP) with New Centre (JC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), a breakaway from the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party (LSDSP). At that time, all three were members of the former electoral alliance Harmony Centre. The alliance also included the communist Socialist Party of Latvia. The Daugavpils City Party merged into the party in 2011.

Daugavpils City Party

The Daugavpils City Party was a regionalist political party located in Daugavpils, Latvia. It was formed in 2000 and was led by Daugavpils Mayor Vitālijs Azarevičs.

Peoples Party (Latvia) Latvian political party (1998-2011)

The People's Party was a conservative political party in Latvia. The People's Party was the leader of three governments and a member of another four.

Results

The Harmony Centre party, led by Nils Ušakovs, finished with about 29% of the vote, followed by Zatlers' Reform Party with 21% and the Unity party with 18%. [7] The National Alliance and the Union of Greens and Farmers were the only other parties to enter Parliament, with fourteen and twelve percent of the vote, respectively. [7] Harmony Centre's victory was the first for a pro-Russian party since Latvia's independence; the party has ties to United Russia. [8]

Nils Ušakovs Latvian politician

Nils Ušakovs is a Latvian Russian politician, former mayor of Riga and former journalist. Since 2014 he has been the leader of the Harmony party. From November 2005–2014 he was the leader of the left-wing party alliance, Harmony Centre. He was elected as a Member of the 9th Saeima in 2006. On July 1, 2009 Ušakovs was elected the Mayor of Riga, becoming the first Riga Mayor of Russian descent since Latvia's restoration of sovereignty in 1991.

National Alliance (Latvia) right-wing political party in Latvia

The National Alliance, officially the National Alliance "All For Latvia!" – "For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK", abbreviated to NA, is a right-wing populist, national-conservative political party in Latvia. With thirteen seats in the Saeima, the National Alliance is the fourth-largest party in the national parliament and the third-largest party in the government. The party is a coalition of conservatives, Latvian ethnonationalists, and economic liberals.

Union of Greens and Farmers Latvian political coalition

Union of Greens and Farmers is a green conservative, agrarian political alliance in Latvia. It consists of two political parties: the Latvian Farmers' Union (LZS) and the Latvian Green Party (LZP). It is the third largest bloc in the Saeima. The Union of Greens and Farmers also cooperates closely with two regional parties: For Latvia and Ventspils and the Liepāja Party.

e  •  d  Summary of the 17 September 2011 Latvian Saeima election results
PartyVotes%SwingSeats±
Harmony Centre 259,93028.36%+1.75%31+2
Zatlers' Reform Party 190,85320.82%New22New
Unity 172,56718.83%−13.07%20−13
National Alliance 127,20813.88%+6.05%14+6
Union of Greens and Farmers 111,95512.22%–7.90%13–9
Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way 22,1312.41%–5.40%0–8
For Human Rights in United Latvia 7,1090.78%–0.69%0±0
Last Party4,4710.49%–0.41%0±0
For a Presidential Republic2,8810.31%–0.44%0±0
People's Control2,5730.28%–0.14%0±0
Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party 2,5310.28%–0.37%0±0
Freedom. Free from Fear, Hate and Anger2,0110.22%New0New
Christian Democratic Union 1,9940.22%–0.15%0±0
Invalid1,211
Total917,680100%100
Turnout: 59.49%
Source: Central Election Commission of Latvia

Government formation

Despite winning the most seats, Harmony Centre, was unable to come to an agreement to form a coalition that would hold a majority in parliament immediately after the election. [7] Usakovs entered talks with Zatlers Reform Party and Unity following the election with the aim of forming a coalition, [8] though political analysts said that a potential stumbling block in the talks could be the opposition of other parties to Harmony Centre's connection to Latvia's Russian-speaking population. [7] The most likely potential coalition was predicted to be Zatlers' Reform Party, Unity and National Alliance. [9] Valdis Dombrovskis was believed to remain Prime Minister, despite his party finishing behind the Reform Party.

Zatlers stated on 1 October 2011 that he preferred a coalition with Dombrovskis as PM and including Harmony Centre. [10] However, on 10 October 2011, reports indicated a coalition with the National Alliance was all but certain. [11] Eventually a Unity-Reform Party-National Alliance coalition was formed.

Related Research Articles

The Socialist Party of Latvia was formed in 1994 as a successor party to the Communist Party of Latvia, which was banned in 1991. In essence, the party is communist; according to the programme of the party, the LSP was founded as an organization upholding socialist ideas after the 1991 events that the party describes as a 'counter-revolutionary bourgeois-nationalist coup'.

The Latvian Green Party is a green political party in Latvia. It was founded on 13 January 1990 and is a member of the European Green Party. Unusually for a green party in Europe, the LZP is generally considered a centre-right party. Leading politicians of the party have often supported reactionary, nationalist, and anti-LGBT positions. The party has only gained representation in the Saeima by forming electoral alliances with other parties.

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.

Latvian Farmers Union political party

The Latvian Farmers' Union is a centrist, agrarian political party in Latvia.

2007 Latvian presidential election

A presidential election was held in the Latvian Saeima on 31 May 2007. The government candidate Valdis Zatlers defeated Aivars Endziņš.

2010 Latvian parliamentary election general election

Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 2 October 2010. It was the first parliamentary election to be held in Latvia since the beginning of the economic crisis during which Latvia had experienced one of the deepest recessions in the world.

2018 Latvian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 6 October 2018.

New Unity is a liberal-conservative political party in Latvia. It is currently the largest party of the centre-right in Latvian politics and was the leading party in the Dombrovskis and Straujuma cabinets from its inception in 2010 until February 2016 and is a member of the current coalition since January 2019 with its member Krišjānis Kariņš as Prime Minister. Unity is a member of the European People's Party (EPP).

2011 Latvian parliamentary dissolution referendum

A referendum on whether the Saeima should be dissolved early was held in Latvia on 23 July 2011. President Valdis Zatlers used his parliamentary dissolution power for the first time in the history of Latvia. A "yes/no" vote was held and the referendum passed with 94.3% support.

Reform Party (Latvia) Latvian political party

The Reform Party, until April 2012 known as Zatlers' Reform Party, was a centre-right political party in Latvia founded by former President Valdis Zatlers on 23 July 2011. It won 22 seats in the Saeima in the 2011 election.

Laimdota Straujuma politician from Latvia, 12th Prime Minister of Latvia

Laimdota Straujuma is a Latvian economist who was the Prime Minister of Latvia from January 2014 to February 2016. Before her tenure as Prime Minister, she served as Minister of Agriculture from 2011 to 2014. She was the first woman to serve as the head of government of the country. After her resignation on 7 December 2015 she announced her intention to resume a seat in the Saeima.

Vjačeslavs Dombrovskis Latvian politician and economist

Vjačeslavs Dombrovskis is a Latvian Russian politician and economist, who served as the Minister for Education and Science of Latvia. and also as the Minister of Economics.

2014 Latvian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 4 October 2014. The previous elections were held in 2011, but according to the country's constitution, the parliamentary term was reduced to only three years following early elections.

United for Latvia is a populist and economically liberal political party in Latvia. It was founded in 2011 in Rēzekne and in 2013 Ainārs Šlesers became party chairman. Šlesers has been dubbed one of the three "oligarchs" prominent in Latvian politics, and United for Latvia marks his return to electoral politics. He was previously leader of Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way and has served in several governments of Latvia including as Deputy Prime Minister in the government of Aigars Kalvītis and Minister of Transport in the second government of Ivars Godmanis, both of whom are party members. Other formerly prominent Latvian politicians who are now party members include Jānis Jurkāns and Jānis Straume. The party is yet to win seats in the Saeima or the European Parliament. Šlesers and several other party members have been in the past among the Latvian politicians most willing to cooperate with Harmony and other Russian parties in Latvia.

Aldis Gobzems Latvian jurist and politician

Aldis Gobzems is a Latvian politician and lawyer. He first rose to prominence as a lawyer who represented victims of the 2013 Zolitūde shopping centre roof collapse, and was the prime minister candidate for the Who owns the state? party in the 2018 Latvian parliamentary elections.

References

  1. ↑ "Latvians sack parliament, head to early elections". EurActiv. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  2. ↑ Eglitis, Aaron (2011-10-25). "Latvian Parliament Confirms New Government Led By Dombrovskis". Businessweek. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  3. ↑ DELFI. "Daugavpils partija iekļaujas 'Saskaņā'; SC veidos divi spēki - DELFI". Delfi.lv. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  4. ↑ Nolemj likvidēt Tautas partiju (in Latvian)
  5. 1 2 "Latvian political parties undergo major upheaval", Baltic Times, 12 July 2011, retrieved 18 July 2011
  6. ↑ Apollo – Ziņas: Izveidota partija «Vienotība». Apollo.lv. Retrieved on 19 September 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Pro-Russia party wins most votes in Latvia election". BBC News Online. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Pro-Russia party may take power in Latvia if it can form coalition". The Guardian. 19 September 2011. Archived from the original on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  9. ↑ Maktlösa vinnare i Lettland. Dagens Nyheter. 2011-09-18.
  10. ↑ Andris Straumanis. "Zatlers wants Dombrovskis as PM in coalition with Unity, Harmony Centre". Latviansonline.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  11. ↑ derStandard.at. "Rechtsregierung mit Ultranationalisten so gut wie sicher - Lettland - derStandard.at › International" (in German). Derstandard.at. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
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