Local Elections 2013

On June 1, 2013 in 9 cities and 110 municipalities of Latvia local elections took place. 685890 or 45,99% voters cast their votes in the elections. The highest voter turnout – 55,55% – was in Riga. In Vidzeme, 44,93% of eligible voters participated in the elections, in Latgale - 42,17%, in Kurzeme – 40,51%, but in Zemgale – 39, 39%.  16717 or 1,12% voters took the opportunity to vote at their residence.

589 lists of candidates had been registered for the local elections, and 483 of them obtained mandates in city councils and municipality councils. 8725 candidates had been registered for the local eletions, but 1618 candidates were elected in city and municipality councils. 

453 lists of candidates were submitted by registered parties and party alliances, 19 lists – by several parties which had not registered their alliance, but in 39 municipalities 117 alliances of voters submitted their candidate lists.

1214 council members were elected from the registered parties and party alliances, 298 council members – from the lists of alliances of voters, but 106 council members – from the unregistered lists of party alliances.

The party „VIENOTĪBA” obtained the largest number or 197 mandates in all councils of Latvia. The second one is the Union of Greens and Farmers with 145 seats of council members, and the third one –  the National Alliance "All For Latvia!" – "For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK" with 34 seats of council members.

Election commissions of city and municipal councils approve results of local elections and determine members elected to the council.

Election results in each of 119 constituencies and 950 polling stations are available on the section of the webpage „Vēlēšanu rezultāti” („Election Results”).

Eligibility for voting

Citizens of Latvia and citizens of the European Union who were eligible to vote and had reached the age of 18 were eligible to elect the council. In order to participate in local elections in Latvia, an EU citizen had to be registered in the Population Register of Latvia.

Individuals who have been adjudged incompetent pursuant to the law, are undergoing punishment in penal institutions, as well as those EU citizens who have no right to vote in EU member states whereof they are citizens were not eligible to elect the council.

Voters had the rights to vote on the administrative territory of the local government where their place of residence had been registered 90 days prior to the election day or on the administrative territory of the local government where they owned real estate registered in the respective municipality pursuant to the law. 

Electoral Register

Unlike the Saeima (Parliament) elections and referenda, in local elections, the Electoral Register is used for accounting voters. Each voter is registered for the local elections on a certain polling station according to their registered place of residence 90 days prior to the election day. (In the elections of 2013 – according to the entry about his/her registered place of residence in the Population Register on March 3, 2013.)

Lists of voters were created in cooperation between the Central Election Commission, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, local authorities and voters.

Those citizens of Latvia who did not have a valid registration place of residence by March 3, 2013 were included in the register of the polling station, which corresponded to the data of the voter’s last registered place of residence.

In order to inform, in the list of which polling station a voter was included, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs mailed a notice to each voter at their declared residential address between March 18 and March 23, 2013.

Between March 25 and May 7, 2013, voters could take the opportunity to change the polling station which had been registered initially. A voter could change their polling station, choosing any other polling station within the administrative territory of the local government, in which they had a declared residence 90 days prior to elections or any other polling station within the administrative territory of the local government, in which they owned real estate.

In order to register the change of a polling station, a voter had to submit their wish to change the polling station to any residence declaration department of local government.  When changing a polling station to the administrative territory of the local government where voters owned real estate registered in the territory of the respective local government according to the procedure set out by law, they had to present a document confirming their property rights – the Land Register statement or an excerpt from the Land Register.

Candidate lists

Candidate lists for local elections 2013 were submitted between April 12 and April 22, 2013. Candidate lists had to be submitted to the respective city or municipality election commission.

Citizens of Latvia and citizens of the European Union who had reached at least the age of 18 by the election day were eligible to stand in local election. Citizens of the European Union who are not citizens of Latvia had to be registered in the Population Register to have the right to be candidates in council elections. All candidates to the council also had to be registered in the Register of Voters.  

A candidate to the council could be included in the candidate list if by the day of submission of candidate lists they complied with at least one of the following conditions:

1. they have been registered at a place of residence in the administrative territory of the respective local government for at least the recent 10 months;
2. they have been working on the administrative territory of the local government (as an employee or as a self-employed person according to the Law On National Social Insurance) for at least the recent 4 months;
3. they own real estate which was registered in the territory of the respective local government pursuant to the law.

According to the provisions of this law, a candidate was eligible to stand for the elections only in one council in the Republic of Latvia.

Candidate lists were to be prepared using the application software worked out by the Central Election Commission.

The “City Council and Municipality Council Election Law” and the “Instruction on Submission of Candidate Lists for the City Council and Municipality Council Elections of June 1, 2013” comprised the terms in force concerning submission of candidate lists for local elections.

Pre-election campaign

The period from February 2 till the election day, June 1, was the time of pre-election campaign before the local elections of 2013. During this time, pre-election campaign was carried out and materials of the campaign were promulgated in television and radio, printed mass media, internet and public places in accordance with the procedures stipulated in the law “On Pre-election Campaign Before the Local Government Elections”.

The main institution in Latvia, which controls pre-election campaign, is the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB). For more information, please, consult the webpage www.knab.gov.lv.

Voting procedure

On the election day, polling stations were open from 7.00 a.m. till 10.00 p.m.

Voters who were not be able to attend their polling districts could take the opportunity to vote beforehand:

Early voting took place three days before the election day:

• on Wednesday, May 29: from 5.00 p.m. – 8.00 p.m.
• on Thursday, May 30: from 9.00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m.
• on Friday, May 31: from 10.00 a.m.  – 4.00 p.m.

In addition, voting at voters’ residence was organized in local elections for the voters who were unable to attend the voting premises due to health conditions. Voters were able to use this possibility only in case they were on the territory of the respective polling station by the election day. 

When participating in local elections in Latvia, a valid person identification document - a passport or an electronic identification card (eID card) had to be presented in a polling station.

23.08.2013