On Saturday, 3 October, elections to Latvia’s 15th Saeima are taking place in Latvia and abroad, with voters electing 100 members of parliament for the next four years.

There are five constituencies in the Saeima elections: Riga (38 seats), Vidzeme (26 seats), Latgale (12 seats), Kurzeme (11 seats) and Zemgale (13 seats). Voters abroad cast their ballots for candidate lists in the Riga constituency. As in previous elections, voters may vote at any polling station.

On election day, polling stations in Latvia and abroad will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. Latvian citizens aged 18 and over are eligible to vote. Voters must bring a valid Latvian citizen’s passport or national identity card (eID card). Further information about voting procedures at polling stations is available here.

“Every vote is equally important. Our task is to ensure a secure and transparent election process so that every voter can express their choice freely and by secret ballot. I encourage Latvian citizens, both in Latvia and abroad, to exercise their right to vote and take part in the elections,” said Māris Zviedris, Chair of the Central Election Commission (CVK).

Polling station addresses, opening hours and information about accessibility for people with mobility impairments are available at iecirkni.cvk.lv. An additional 82 off-site voting locations will also be available on election day.

In Latvia, votes cast in the Saeima elections will be counted manually at polling stations during the evening and overnight after voting closes. Results will be available at cvk.lv.

At the polling station, each voter will receive a set of ballot papers and a stamped ballot envelope. Alone in a voting booth or screened area, the voter must select the ballot paper for one candidate list. They may leave it unchanged or indicate their preferences regarding individual candidates by filling in the oval in the “PAR” (“FOR”) column if they particularly support a candidate’s election, or in the “PRET” (“AGAINST”) column if they oppose it. Candidates’ names and surnames should not be crossed out. The selected ballot paper must be placed inside the ballot envelope, which must then be sealed and deposited in the ballot box.

Voters who cannot attend a polling station for health reasons, as well as carers of people who are ill, may apply to vote at their current location. The CVK encourages voters to submit a written application in good time, preferably by noon on 3 October. Applications received later will be fulfilled if the polling station commission can reach the voter before voting closes.

If a voter has already cast an advance ballot but votes again on election day, only the most recent vote will be counted.

After voting closes, polling station commissions will begin counting ballots. Votes will be counted manually at open commission meetings, which authorised observers and media representatives may attend. Preliminary results will be published progressively as vote-counting data are received from polling stations.

Further information about the elections is available on the CVK website, cvk.lv, and by calling the information line on +371 67019999.