United List Caucus Includes Anti-Homosexuality Campaigner and a Defendant

The Latvian political party the United List (AS) has had an election success that surprised even the party itself. In the Saeima elections it won its largest number of deputy seats in its history. The Saeima is Latvia's parliament, in which 100 deputies pass legislation.

According to LSM, the outcome also means surprises in the make-up of the AS caucus, as it will include people who had not previously been widely mentioned as likely deputies. The headline of the report states that the caucus members include both a campaigner against homosexuality and a person who is a defendant in a criminal case.

The available excerpt does not specify who exactly is meant, what the charges are, or how these members might affect the caucus's work. That information will matter in assessing how the party uses its large number of seats and what the reputation of its parliamentary group will be.