2021 Latvian municipal elections
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Municipal elections were held across Latvia on 5 June 2021.[1] This was the first election after the Saeima passed a municipal reform in 2020 that reduced the 110 municipalities and 9 cities to 43 municipalities, including 11 state cities and added 5 new Latvian towns: Ādaži, Iecava, Ķekava, Koknese, and Mārupe.[2] In total, 645 councilors were elected to 40 municipal councils across the country.[3] The 60 seats in the Riga City Council is not up for election until 2025, as snap elections were held in August 2020.
On 28 May, following the decision of the Constitutional Court of Latvia that declared a part of the municipal reform about the inclusion of Varakļāni Municipality into the new Rēzekne Municipality unconstitutional, the Central Election Commission (CEC) cancelled elections in the municipalities of both Rēzekne and Madona.[4] The Saeima decided on 1 June to reverse the decision of the CEC and to move forward with the elections in Madona Municipality on 5 June as initially scheduled.[5]
Electoral system[]
All 645 councilors were elected using open-list proportional representation with a 5% electoral threshold. Seats are allocated using the Webster/Sainte-Laguë method. The number of councilors a given municipality were to elect was determined by the Central Election Commission based on the number of residents in that municipality.
Councilors | State Cities | Municipalities |
---|---|---|
13 | 50 000 residents or less | |
15 | more than 50 000 residents | 30 000 residents or less |
19 | more than 30 000 residents | |
23 | more than 60 000 residents |
Participating parties[]
Notes[]
- ^ Including the municipalities where the party runs on a joint list with another party
References[]
- ^ "Local Elections 2021". Central Election Commission of Latvia. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ "Saeima finally approves major regional reforms". eng.lsm.lv. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ "CVK nosaka pašvaldību vēlēšanās domēs ievēlējamo deputātu skaitu" [CEC determines the number of councilors to be elected to the municipal councils.] (in Latvian). Central Election Commission of Latvia. January 26, 2021. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ "Pēc ST sprieduma CVK aptur 5.jūnijā plānotās vēlēšanas Rēzeknes un Madonas novadā" [After the decision of the Constitutional Court, the CEC cancels elections in Rēzekne and Madona municipalities]. www.lsm.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2021-05-29.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Upleja, Sanita (2021-06-01). "Varakļāni paliek kā atsevišķs novads, lemj Saeima" [Varakļāni will remain a separate municipality, decided Saeima]. delfi.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2021-06-01.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Pašvaldības domes vēlēšanu likums" [Municipal councils election law]. likumi.lv (in Latvian). January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links[]
- 2021 election hub on the Central Election Commission website (in English)
- Local elections in Latvia
- 2021 in Latvia
- 2021 elections in Europe
- Latvia politics stubs