Elections will not bring changes to Latvian politics, Lithuanian observer says

In his words, the government should be formed by the political parties that were in power until now – the Unity that came in second together with the centre-right Union of Greens and Farmers and the conservative nationalist National Alliance. Jurkynas believes the coalition may also invite the left-wing For Latvia From the Heart party, which also crossed the five-percent threshold.

Although the pro-Russian Harmony Centre came in first in the elections, its performance cannot be called victory, says the Lithuanian political expert.

“It won the largest number of votes, as compared with others, but it definitely did not win. As compared with the elections a few years ago, the Harmony Centre, which mainly represents the Russian-speaking community and claims to be a social democratic and centre-left force, it rallied 5 percent less support this time. Back when it had 28 percent of the vote a few years ago, it was not invited to join the government. In Latvia, the main political cleavage lies between the pro-Russian and the patriotic or pro-Western forces – they form a coalition and leave the pro-Russian party out of the government,” Jurkynas told BNS on Monday.

In his words, Russia may attempt to take advantage of the facts that the Harmony Centre is pushed to the opposition and that 280,000 Russian-speakers who are not citizens did not vote in the elections.

“Nevertheless, they can say whatever they want in the current political situation in Russia where the political regime is not only waging a gangster and brutal war in Ukraine but also uses Soviet-era methods to brainwash its citizens. Their attempts to turn white into black and truth into lies and vice versa prove that this should not be taken too seriously. Amid Russia’s political hysteria, the statements about alleged violations of rights of Russian-speakers in Latvia would seem rather funny to those who know the actual situation in Latvia,” said the political scientist.