URGENT: Cast your vote in Latvia’s municipal elections

On June 7. , 2025, municipal elections will be held in Latvia. Latvian Canadians are eligible to vote if they are Latvian citizens, own real estate in Latvia, and are at least 18 years old. This means that if for instance you own an apartment in Riga, or have inherited your parents’ or grandparents’ country home, you are eligible to vote.

If you live outside Latvia, you must vote by mail. Your vote must reach the municipality by June 7. Given how long mail takes to get to Latvia, and considering that it is very likely that there could be a postal strike in Canada starting May 22, we strongly recommend that you register and send your vote immediately. Here are more details on the voting process.

Why vote? Even in local elections, parties adopt varying stances regarding Latvia as a whole, and they run their cities or regions according to their own principles. Do you want to see pro-Western or pro-Kremlin parties in power?

As to Riga, the current Riga coalition includes “Vienotība” (New Unity), “Nacionālā Apvienība/Latvijas Reģionu apvienība (National Alliance/Latvian Association of Regions), the “Kods Rīgai” (Code for Riga) bloc, “Gods kalpot Rīgai” (Honour to serve Riga!), “Latvijas attīstībai” (Latvia for Development) and the “Kustība “Par”” (Movement “For”).

“Latvija pirmajā vietā” (Latvia First Place) (LPV) with Ainārs Šleseris has taken the lead in party ratings in Riga, overtaking the previously most popular party, “Nacionālā Apvienība” (National Alliance) (NA). 8.6% of respondents would vote for LPV, 7.8% would vote for NA, and 6.3% for “Vienotība” (New Unity). It is followed by the “Zaļo un zemnieku savienība” (Union of Greens and Farmers), which has seen its support drop slightly to 5.3%, while the “Apvienotais saraksts” (United List) (5.1%) has risen to fifth place, as the rating of the “Progresīvie” (The Progressives) has dropped by more than a percentage point – from 5.5% in January to 4.4% in the second half of April. “Stabilitātei!” (Stability!) retained its previous position with a slight drop. (4.1%) and “Saskaņa” (Harmony (3%).(www.lsm.lv)

If you have any questions or need help understanding the voting process, please contact admin@lnak.org.