US Midterm Results and Latvia's Experience: Shared Causes, Different Implications for Europe
A commentary in the Latvian daily Diena compares the US congressional elections, won by Democrats, with Latvia's recent Saeima vote. Voters in both countries were driven by living costs and corruption, but European security is not a priority for American voters.
The Democratic victory in the United States and the recent parliamentary election in Latvia reflect similar voter motives, according to a commentary in the Latvian daily Diena. The author argues that voters in both countries demanded change because of the cost of living, unmet economic promises and corruption, while European security played little role in the American vote.
Why voters demanded change
The commentary says US voters weighed the costs of food, housing, health care and fuel. About two-thirds believed President Donald Trump's policies had worsened the economic situation, and eight in ten of them voted Democratic for that reason. Roughly seven in ten said Congress does not sufficiently restrain presidential power, including about four in ten Republicans. More than half of voters called corruption at the government level a decisive factor.
The author cites the president's and first lady's cryptocurrency business, dealings by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner with Middle Eastern states, an aircraft gifted by Qatar, and a wedding celebration for Trump Jr. paid for by a businessman close to the Kremlin.
Parallels with Latvia
The author stresses that the Democratic win is not a vote of confidence in the party's platform, just as the success of the United List in Latvia did not stem from a radically new approach to political reform. Voters knew better what they wanted to be rid of than what they expected from the next rulers.
A difference and a conclusion for Europe
According to the commentary, Trump's stance on Ukraine, his attitude toward European allies and the tariff wars had little influence on the result; tariffs worried voters mainly as a reason for rising prices. German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger, longtime chair of the Munich Security Conference, warns that restraining Trump at home could push him to act more actively in foreign policy and trade. In the author's view, Europe must accept that its existential interests are secondary for American voters.
