Major voter swing to Russian party

  • 2009-06-10
  • By TBT Staff
RIGA - A political party representing Russian minority interests has won more than 34 percent of the vote in Riga's municipal elections in what political analysts claim is voter payback for the country's crippling economic crisis.

In a historic shift center-left party Harmony Center (SC) won about 34.29 percent of the vote in the June 6 elections, according to data from the Central Election Committee.
Civic Union was second with 18.90 percent; Latvia's First Party/Latvia's Way (LPP/LC) third with 15.11 percent and New Era fourth with 11.08 percent.
It is the first time a Russian rights group has won a majority in Riga elections since regaining independence.

The winning parties were due to come to an agreement on a ruling coalition and mayor as The Baltic Times went to press. Either Nils Usakovs of SC or Ainars Slesers of LPP/LC have been widely tipped as the leading contenders for the position of mayor. In another significant gain SC was the second most voted for party in Latvia's European parliament elections, receiving almost 20 percent of the votes and winning 2 MEPs.

SC was formed in 2005, winning 17 of 100 seats in the 2006 Saeima elections to become the fourth largest party in Parliament and the second largest opposition party.
According to preliminary election results SC could hold 26 out of a possible 60 seats on the Riga City Council, Civic Union could get 14 seats, Latvia's First Party/Latvia's Way (LPP/LC) - 12 seats, and New Era - eight.

However, other parties failed to register on voters' radars.
Society for Different Politics came closest to the obligatory five percent threshold with 3.82 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, previous ruling coalition partner People's Party managed only a dismal 1.96 percent pf the vote.

For Fatherland And Freedom/LNNK and Union of Greens and Farmers also failed to reach the 5 percent threshold mark winning just 3.3 and 1.98 percent of the vote respectively.
Latvia's election results mirrored those in other European countries, which recorded large voter swings towards opposition parties.

Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis of New Era, played down the results amid claims the election outcome could affect the coalition's stability.
"I do not think that there is a direct influence on the stability of the government," Dombrovskis told media following the poll.

He said the government remained committed to push through tough budget cuts needed to win further funds from a 7.5 billion euro rescue package agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last year. There were a total of 411,489 voters registered in Riga on election day, of which 234,060 or 56.88 percent took part.