Latvia’s municipal elections produced no clear winner in the capital Riga, signalling growing political fragmentation across the nation, Euractiv reported.
Preliminary results show the Latvia First party leading with 18.2%, followed by the Progressives at 16.64% and the National Alliance at 14.13%. With seven parties securing seats in Riga’s council, Progressives’ lead candidate Viesturs Kleinbergs acknowledged “arduous coalition negotiations” lie ahead.
Efforts to exclude Latvia First could forge an alliance between the Progressives, National Alliance, the conservative New Unity, and pro-business United List. Latvia First leader Ainārs Šlesers dismissed this prospect:
I can’t imagine how the National Alliance would work under the leadership of Viesturs Kleinbergs from the Progressives.
The outcome signals momentum for Latvia First ahead of October 2026 parliamentary elections, potentially forcing uncomfortable coalitions between ideological rivals like the National Alliance and Progressives at the national level. Outside Riga, incumbent mayors retained power in Daugavpils and Liepāja, while smaller parties gained traction nationwide.
The elections were marred by technical failures when an overloaded automated vote-counting system necessitated a full manual recount, delaying final results and sparking debates about electoral efficiency. Despite a higher turnout of 47.09% (up from 34% in 2021), participation remained historically low.
