At stake in this election:

• 100 seats in the Parliament (Saeima)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Aigars KALVITIS
• Assembly: Latvia has a unicameral Parliament (Saeima) with 100 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by parliament to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Parliament (Saeima) 100 members are elected by direct popular vote to serve 4-year terms.***

*** Political parties must obtain at least five percent of the national vote to gain representation in parliament.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: People's Party (TP)*
  • Leader: Andris SKELE
  • Seats won in this election: 24
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: Latvia's Way (LC)
  • Leader: Andrejs PANTELEJEVS
  • Seats won in this election: 21
  • Seats won in last election: 17
• Party: Fatherland and Freedom Party / LNNK (TB/LNNK)
  • Leader: Andrejs KRASTINS
  • Seats won in this election: 17
  • Seats won in last election: 14
• Party: Harmony for Latvia (TSP)
  • Leader: Ernests JURKANS
  • Seats won in this election: 16
  • Seats won in last election: 6
• Party: Latvia's Social Democrat Alliance (LSDA)
  • Leader: Juris BOJARS
  • Seats won in this election: 14
  • Seats won in last election: 5
• Party: New Party (JP)******
  • Leader: Raimonds PAULS
  • Seats won in this election: 8
  • Seats won in last election: N/A

* The People's Party (TP) was formed after the last election.
****** The New Party (JP) ws formed after the last election.

Last Parliamentary election:

• Parliamentary elections were last held on September 30-October 1, 1995.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 2,410,019 (1998)
• Registered Voters: 1,341,942 (1998)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 1,300,645 (1998)

·         Is Latvia a signatory to CEDAW: N/A

·         Has Latvia ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (14 April 1992)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 17 (following the 1998 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 46 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Latvia a signatory to CRPD: Yes (18 July 2008)

·         Has Latvia ratified CRPD: Yes (1 March 2010)

·         Population with a disability: 361,502 (est.)