United List wins record 42 seats in Latvia election

RIGA — Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’ United List secured a historic victory in Latvia’s general election, winning 42 seats in the 100-member parliament with nearly all votes counted, according to results reported Sunday.With 99.9% of ballots counted from Saturday’s election, the United List received 35% of the vote, public broadcaster LSM reported.The result represents the largest number of seats won by a single political force in the history of Latvia’s parliament, the Saeima, surpassing the previous record of 36 seats secured by Latvijas Cels in 1993.Kulbergs’ United List was leading across the country except in six districts in the southeast, according to the latest count as of 9:30 a.m. GMT.“This shows people want change, that people want straight talking,” Kulbergs said late Saturday after exit polls indicated a decisive victory.Reports suggested the next governing coalition could bring together the United List, which holds 42 seats, the National Alliance with 10 and New Unity with seven. Together, the three parties would control 59 seats, giving them a parliamentary majority.Latvia First secured 17 seats, Sovereign Power/New Latvians won 15 and the Progressives took nine, with all three expected to enter opposition, according to LSM.Latvians voted Saturday to elect 100 members of parliament under a party-list proportional representation system. The Saeima is elected every four years.In the previous election in 2022, New Unity, led by Krisjanis Karins, won 16 seats and formed a coalition with the United List and National Alliance.Around 804,000 people cast ballots in Saturday’s election, with turnout at 51.63%.