Meanwhile, the return to politics of one of Latvia's most popular independence leaders, Dainis Ivans, may boost the reputation of the Social Democratic Workers' Party, thus far the home of discredited former communists and anti-foreigner rhetoric.
Crucial for the parties' reputations will be the contest in Riga, where the popular For Fatherland and Freedom party member Andris Argalis is the current mayor. The right-wing For Fatherland and Freedom party intends to continue its current policies under the slogan "A fine, well-equipped city to satisfy its residents!", according to party general secretary Juris Saratovs.
Both it and Latvia's Way, which currently dominates the central government, are emphasizing the professional expertise and experience of their candidates throughout the country, crucial they say if public services are to be run efficiently.
For Fatherland and Freedom emphasizes a hands-on approach to local issues. In Riga this means exploiting what they say is the lack of local government experience of Aija Poca, Latvia's Way's candidate for mayor.
"Poca doesn't actually work in the (City) Council so she can spend all day listening to people," said Saratovs.
"Our people don't have time for that. They're solving problems on the spot."
In her current post chairing the government's Budget and Finance Committee, Poca has emphasized the importance of reforming the health service, rather than simply throwing money at it. Latvia's Way's candidates include several doctors who would be well-qualified to oversee reforms, says party adviser Aija Matule.
Housing issues will be a major concern to voters, says prominent local journalist Karlis Streips. Not only are some unable to pay rent, but a grace period has now expired during which some tenants were expected to find new accommodation, following the restoration of property to those who owned it before the Soviet period, or their descendants. Latvia's Way has proposed an amendment to the law which would result in the negotiated settlement of disputes, says Matule. But, says Streips, the issue has so far prompted few concrete answers to the problem.
"There has been a lot of posturing rather than solutions, and there will be a lot more," he said. "One fringe party has promised to pay off people's utility debts - the kind of nonsense we'll see a lot of. The election will be more about personalities and demagoguery than issues."
One person commanding much attention is Dainis Ivans, who tops the Social Democratic Workers' Party's list of candidates. As leader of the Popular Front in 1991 Ivans mobilized the nation to prevent a Soviet crackdown by forming barricades at key sites, a strategy which proved spectacularly successful.
Following independence Ivans retreated from the political stage to experience work as a journalist free from state control, and set up a newspaper which soon folded due to financial problems.
With reports of corruption in government multiplying, he says he wants to find out the truth from the inside.
At a conference on the barricades in Riga on Jan. 19 Ivans spoke with a toughness lacking in the other speakers, pointing out that present in the audience were members of the Interfront movement which opposed independence, and others who opposed the use of barricades - former members of the so-called citizens' committees. The latter now make up the rump of For Fatherland and Freedom, he told The Baltic Times. It was another signal that he intends to ruffle feathers in his own Social Democratic Workers' Party which though popular, is led by former senior communist officials and has little experience of government.
Ivans earlier told The Baltic Times he wishes to distance himself from party leader Juris Bojars, renowned for criticizing the involvement of the West in Latvia's transition from communism.
"I hope the future of the Social Democrats won't depend on the opinions and philosophy of a couple of people like Bojars," he said.
"The party used to be more integrated into European structures. Its predecessor was the Popular Front, which had strong links with the Social Democrats in Sweden. The problems we have with radical slogans derive from a few members, not the whole party."
But Streips is not convinced Ivans will succeed in reforming the Social Democratic Workers' Party.
"In the past he has demonstrated great enthusiasm which quickly dissolved," said Streips.
"I'd be very happy to see an issues-based challenge to Bojars' role. Bojars has a very tainted past and on certain issues has led the party in the direction of demagoguery. But the Social Democrats have nothing to do with Social Democrats in Europe. I'm very surprised Ivans has decided to stand."
But Ivans maintains that the Social Democratic Workers' Party in Riga is more moderate than the party's national leaders. "Many of the Riga members are owners of small and medium-sized businesses and scientists," he said. "We occupy the center ground."
Solving the city's housing problems will be a central priority, he says. Delaying further privatization of state-owned housing would alleviate the problem of rising rent charges, he says. He will also try to make Riga's streets safer, protect the city's trees and attend to cultural and educational issues, he says.
At Diena newspaper, commentator Aivars Ozolins is predicting the national government will fall before election day on March 11, due to ongoing disagreements over the privatization of the Latvian Shipping Company. This despite Saratovs' denials that the shipping company is a make-or-break issue. The local elections may turn into a referendum on a new national government, says Ozolins.
On one thing both Streips and Ozolins agree: the fight is sure to be dirty.
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