10,000 signatures collected for initiative to cut Latvia's parliament to 70 seats

A citizens' initiative proposing to cut the number of seats in Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, from 100 to 70 has collected 10,000 signatures since August 26 and will now be submitted for parliamentary review. Ričards Bumbērs is listed as the initiative's representative.

The proposal calls for amending Article 5 of the Constitution (Satversme) so that the Saeima would consist of 70 representatives instead of the current 100. The author also proposes adjusting the Saeima Election Law accordingly, redistributing constituency mandates proportionally to the new seat count while preserving the democratic and proportional character of the current electoral system.

Why 70 seats

The number 70 was chosen to reflect Latvia's population decline. In 1993, when the Saeima had 100 deputies, Latvia's population stood at roughly 2.6 million. By early this year, that figure had fallen to 1.845 million, while the number of deputies remained unchanged. The initiative aims to roughly restore the ratio of population to elected representatives that existed more than three decades ago.

Potential benefits

According to the initiative's author, a smaller parliament would increase each deputy's individual accountability and visibility, reduce political fragmentation, and make coalition-building easier. It could also speed up parliamentary work and improve the quality of committee staffing, since a smaller body would make it easier to ensure that deputies serving on committees are knowledgeable about the relevant issues. The author further expects closer ties between deputies and voters, as well as greater attention to the regions.

Budget savings

One of the main arguments raised is potential budget savings. The Saeima's planned 2026 budget totals €40.28 million, of which about €31 million is earmarked for compensating deputies and staff. Bumbērs calculates that cutting the number of deputies by 30 would save roughly €1.5 million a year in base salaries alone, based on 2026 pay levels. Additional savings could come from reduced costs for deputies' assistants, compensation and other expenses tied directly to the number of seats.