The history of Latvia began around 9000 BC with the end of the last glacial period in northern Europe. Ancient Baltic peoples arrived in the area during the second millennium BC, and four distinct tribal realms in Latvia's territory were identifiable towards the end of the first millennium AD. Latvia's principal river Daugava, was at the head of an important trade route from the Baltic region through Russia into southern Europe and the Middle East that was used by the Vikings and later Nordic and German traders.
The politics of Latvia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. The President holds a primarily ceremonial role as Head of State. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament, the Saeima. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Latvia a "flawed democracy" in 2019.
Daugavpils is a city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the city north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region of Latgale, and those to the south lie in Selonia. It is the second-largest city in the country after the capital Riga, which is located some 230 kilometres to its north-west.
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.
Latgale is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. It is the easternmost region and is north of the Daugava River. While most of Latvia is historically Lutheran, Latgale is predominantly Roman Catholic: 65.3% according to a 2011 survey. There is also a strong Eastern Orthodox minority (23.8%), of which 13.8% are Russian Orthodox Christians and 10.0% are Old Believers. As of 2020, the region's population was 255,968.
The Latvian Russian Union (LKS) is a political party in Latvia supported mainly by ethnic Russians and other Russian-speaking minorities. The co-chairpersons of the Latvian Russian Union are Miroslav Mitrofanov and Tatjana Ždanoka.
Historical Latvian Lands or formerly Cultural regions of Latvia are several areas within Latvia formally recognised as distinct from the rest of the country. While some of these regions are seen purely as culturally distinct, others have historically been parts of different countries and have been used to divide the country for administrative and other purposes. The Constitution of Latvia recognises four distinct regions: Kurzeme, Zemgale, Latgale and Vidzeme.
Aleksejs Vidavskis was a Latvian politician. He was a member of the Harmony Centre party, a mayor of Daugavpils, and was a deputy of the 9th Saeima. He began his last term in parliament on 7 November 2006.
Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 6 October 2018. Following the elections, a coalition government was formed by Who owns the state?, the New Conservative Party, Development/For!, the National Alliance and New Unity. Despite being from the smallest elected party, Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš of New Unity was chosen as Prime Minister.
The Social Democratic Party "Harmony", also commonly referred to as Harmony (Saskaņa), is a social-democratic political party in Latvia. It is the largest political party in Saeima that represents the Russian minority of Latvia, and it is currently led by Jānis Urbanovičs.
The Latgalian Farmers Party was a political party in Latvia representing the interests of Latgale farmers during the inter-war period.
The Latgalian Christian Peasant and Catholic Party was a Christian centrist political party in Latvia during the inter-war period. It was the largest party in the Latgale region, and was led by the bishop Jāzeps Rancāns.
The Latgalian Farmer-Labour Party, also known as the Latgalian Progressive Farmers, was a political party in Latvia during the inter-war period. The party contested elections in an alliance with several other parties under the name United List of Latgalian Small Landless Farmers and Latgalian Labour Party. It was led by Jezups Trasuns.
Provisional Land Council of Latgale was created on April 27, 1917, after the democratic February Revolution in Russian Empire. The Council was crucial in achieving separation of Latvian inhabited lands of the former Inflanty Voivodeship from the Vitebsk Governorate and uniting them with the Baltic provinces of Courland and Vidzeme in the new state of Latvia.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Latvia on 1 October 2022, following the end of the term of the Saeima elected in 2018. The election may be held at an earlier date in the event of an early election motion.
The 2020 Riga City Council election was held from 26 to 29 August 2020 to elect the 60 members of Riga City Council. The election was initially scheduled for 25 April 2020, and then rescheduled three times – once due to a court ruling and twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia, to 2 May, 6 June, and 29 August. The council will be elected for nearly five years instead of the standard four, and the next election is scheduled to take place in 2025, at the same time as all other municipal elections in Latvia.
Apolonija Laurinoviča was a Latvian physician and politician. In 1920 she was one of the six women elected to the Constitutional Assembly, Latvia's first female parliamentarians.
The Latgale Party is a regionalist political party in Latvia representing the Latgalian minority of Latvia. It is a part of the New Unity coalition and since 2014, it has been led by Jānis Lāčplēsis and Aldis Adamovičs.
Augšdaugava Municipality is one of the 35 municipalities established in Latvia in 2021. It surrounds the independent city of Daugavpils and its municipal headquarters are located there. Its first elected municipal council has taken office on 1 July 2021.
Latgallia is one of the five multi-member constituencies of the Saeima, the national legislature of Latvia. The constituency was established in 1922 when the Saeima was established following Latvia's independence from the Soviet Union. It consists of the cities of Daugavpils and Rēzekne and municipalities of Aglona, Baltinava, Balvi, Cibla, Dagda, Daugavpils, Ilūkste, Kārsava, Krāslava, Līvāni, Ludza, Preiļi, Rēzekne, Riebiņi, Rugāji, Vārkava, Viļaka, Viļāni and Zilupe in the region of Latgallia. The constituency currently elects 14 of the 100 members of the Saeima using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2018 parliamentary election it had 207,523 registered electors.
