United List takes 42 of Latvia’s 100 parliamentary seats

With 99.9 percent of votes counted in Latvia, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’s United List has 35 percent of the vote and 42 seats in the 100-member Saeima. It still needs a coalition partner. The National Alliance’s ten seats and New Unity’s seven would give the three parties 59 seats together. President Edgars Rinkēvičs nominates a candidate to form a government, which must then secure parliament’s approval.

Geopolitics·October 4, 2026·Midday

18:11 UTC

Near-complete counting gives United List 42 seats

Results from Latvia’s October 3 parliamentary election put Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’s United List in first place. The centrist, pro-Ukraine party led both an earlier partial count and the later near-complete tally. In the earlier count, covering 72 percent of ballots, it had 36.5 percent, with Latvia First on 13 percent. By the time 99.9 percent of votes had been counted, United List’s share was 35 percent, translating into 42 seats in the Saeima, Latvia’s 100-member national parliament. The two percentages belong to different stages of counting.^{[1], [2]}

The seat tally places Latvia First on 17 seats, Sovereign Power and New Latvians on 15, and the Progressives on nine. United List’s 42 seats exceed the previous single-list high of 36, won by Latvijas ceļš in 1993. The governing party nevertheless needs partners for a parliamentary majority. Kulbergs has ruled out a coalition with Latvia First. Smaller parties’ exit-poll figures circulated earlier in the night and are separate from these counted results and seat allocations.^{[1], [2]}

A three-party combination would have 59 seats

United List could combine its seats with the National Alliance’s ten and New Unity’s seven for a total of 59. The National Alliance alone would also take it above half of the chamber’s seats. President Edgars Rinkēvičs nominates a candidate to form a government and usually allows about a week to assemble one. A government then takes office after the Saeima approves the coalition agreement, declaration, action plan and allocation of ministerial portfolios. The next scheduled parliamentary election is in 2030; a coalition collapse would open new negotiations rather than automatically trigger an immediate election.^[1]

Kulbergs campaigned on defence after May’s government crisis

Kulbergs, a former businessman and rally driver, became prime minister in May after the previous coalition collapsed. Failure to detect drones entering Latvia aggravated that crisis. Latvian officials accuse Russia of redirecting Ukrainian drones; Moscow rejects the allegation. Kulbergs campaigned for defence spending at 5 percent of gross domestic product and stronger counter-drone systems. Latvia belongs to NATO and the European Union and borders Russia and Belarus. Voters also raised domestic concerns, including students’ finances and pensions, alongside security. The country has approximately 1.9 million people.^[2]

Near-complete counting gives United List 42 seats

A three-party combination would have 59 seats

Kulbergs campaigned on defence after May’s government crisis

References

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