On 7 July 2020 the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced elections to the Riga City Council, which will take place on 29 August this year.
The elections have been announced following the Law on Dissolution of the Riga City Council, which states the elections to the Riga City Council are to be announced by the CEC on 7 July 2020, and the elections are to take place on 29 August 2020. With the day of the announcement of elections, the period of pre-election campaign at the elections to the Riga City Council is also beginning.
In the Riga City Council elections voters will be able to vote at their or any other polling station in Riga. Polling stations will be open on Election Day from 7.00 to 22.00. Three days before the elections it will be possible to vote early:
- on Wednesday 26 August, from 16.00 – 21.00;
- on Thursday 27 August, from 9.00 – 16.00;
- on Friday, 28 August, from 12.00 – 20.00.
The right to participate in the Riga City Council elections will have citizens of Latvia and other member states of the European Union (EU), who have reached the age of 18, and who have registered place of residence in the administrative territory of Riga 90 days before the election day (on 31 May of this year), or who own real estate in the administrative territory of Riga.
Voters, which have registered place of residence in Riga on 31 May this year, will be automatically included in the voter lists, while the voters, which own real estate in the administrative territory of Riga, in order to use the possibility to elect the Riga City Council, have to register for voting from 30 July to 15 August.
The voting document in the Riga City Council elections will be a valid passport or identity card (eID). There will be no stamp made in the passport, and voter lists will be used to ensure the principle of “one voter, one vote”.
Voter lists will be created by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) in cooperation with the CEC and the municipality of Riga. Initially, each Riga’s voter will be included in the voter list of the polling station corresponding to the voter’s registered place of residence. By 30 July at the latest, OCMA will send to voters by post to the address of the declared place of residence in Riga information regarding the assigned polling station, i.e. in the voters’ list of which polling station the voter has been included. From 30 July voters will also be able to receive information on their polling station by calling the CEC hotline or using the OCMA e-service.
From 30 July to 15 August voters can change their polling station to any other station in Riga. Similarly, during this time, voters who do not have a declared place of residence in Riga, but own real estate in Riga, will be able to register for voting in the Riga City Council elections. To change the polling station or to register for voting in Riga, voter can use the PMLP e-service, or submit an application by post, e-mail, or on the portal Latvija.lv to any authority for residence declaration of the Riga City.
If a voter will not be able to attend the polling station due to health reasons, it will be possible to apply for voting at the voter’s place of residence. In this case, the voter or his/her confidant must submit an application to the Riga City Election Commission by post, e-mail or on the portal Latvija.lv. When sending an application by e-mail, it must be signed by secure e-signature. Polling stations' commissions can organise voting at the voters’ place of residence not only on election day but also on the days of early voting.
Candidate lists for the extraordinary elections to the Riga City Council may be submitted from 14 to 20 July. The lists of candidates must be submitted to the Riga City Election Commission. A registered political party, a registered association of registered political parties, as well as two or more registered political parties that have not formed a registered association of political parties may submit the lists of candidates for the elections to the Riga City Council.
For reference:
- On 13 February 2020 the Saeima adopted the Law on Dissolution of the Riga City Council, but the initial date of the elections was postponed, taking into account the state's emergency situation and the restrictions imposed to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
- In order to reduce the risks of the spread of the virus infection Covid-19 in the Riga City Council elections on 29 August, the CEC has approved the Recommendations on the Covid-19 infection prevention at the polling stations in the Riga City Council elections. When staying at a polling station, voters will have to keep a two-meter distance, disinfect their hands, cover their mouth and nose. Voters who won't have their face covered will be given a disposable face protective mask at the polling station. Voters are invited to use their own writing tools at the polling station, but if the voter does not have such capabilities, the polling station will provide each voter with a pen. These conditions may be revised as the elections approach, if the epidemiological situation in the country continues to improve.
- The change of a polling station voters can make from 30 July to 15 August:
- on the website of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, www.pmlp.gv.lv, using the e-service “Finding out and change of a polling station”. Use of this option requires a secure (recognised in Latvia) e-signature or internet banking authentication;
- by sending an application to the Riga City municipality or to an authority for residence declaration of the Riga City by post or e-mail (signed by a secure e-signature);
- by sending an application to the Riga City municipality or to an authority for residence declaration of the Riga City electronically on the Public Administration Services portal www.latvija.lv. The application submitted on the Public Administration Services portal www.latvija.lv shall be valid without a signature.
- Nationals of Latvia or other EU Member States who have reached at least 18 years of age and are registered in the Voters Register have the right to participate in local government elections as candidates. In order to stand in the elections to the Riga City Council, the person must meet at least one of these conditions on the day of the submission of the list of candidates – he or she must have a registered place of residence in Riga without interruption for the last 10 months, he or she must have worked as a worker or self-employed person for at least the last four months or he or she has to own real estate in Riga.
07.07.2020.
CEC Information Department
Tel. +371 67814900/+371 20237331